Why Is the U.S. Building the Saudi Nuclear Program While Destroying Iran’s?

The United States signed a landmark deal on Wednesday that allows Saudi Arabia to develop a nuclear program. At the same time, President Trump is escalating the war in Iran, a conflict that the White House says aims to destroy the country’s nuclear capabilities.

David E. Sanger, a national security correspondent for The New York Times, explains what Saudi Arabia and the United States are getting out of the deal.

Guest: David E. Sanger, the White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• The United States signed a deal to help Saudi Arabia obtain nuclear power.
• With his latest threats, Mr. Trump has signaled to Iran that he is willing to escalate.

Photo: Kenny Holston/The New York Times

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.