(Bloomberg) -- Energy Secretary Rick Perry said he plans to meet with Saudi Arabia's new energy minister Monday as the U.S. remains in talks with the kingdom for a deal to construct nuclear reactors there that could help the flagging U.S. domestic nuclear industry.
The Trump administration has been in talks with Saudi Arabia to forge a nuclear sharing agreement since 2017, but it has been met with increasing alarm from Congress and others concerned they could forge a deal that doesn't prohibit the kingdom from enriching uranium.
“Saudi Arabia is going to be leaders in the world in technology and one of the ways you lead in the word in technology is to have a strong non-proliferation agreement with the United States,” Perry said during an interview on Bloomberg Television. “And that's the conversation that we are having.”
Perry, speaking earlier during a press conference at the Energy Department, said he knows Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman who replaced Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih just days ago.
Both men are scheduled to be at a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna on Monday.
“We have a previous relationship and I know him,” Perry said.
An agreement with Saudi Arabia could give a lifeline to U.S. companies such as Westinghouse Electric Co., which have been hit hard by a downturn in the construction of nuclear power plants. But they have faced bipartisan criticism from congressional critics after reports the Trump administration wouldn't seek the “Gold Standard” under Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act to prohibit the Saudis from enriching nuclear fuel into weapons-grade material -- activities linked to the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
Earlier: Trump Said to Mull Allowing Enrichment for Saudi Nuke Plants
Scrutiny of the talks increased further after the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of the Saudi government. The Trump administration approved the transfer of American nuclear expertise to Saudi Arabia -- a precursor to a broader deal -- 16 days after Khashoggi's death in October, Senator Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, said in June.
Perry has said a U.S. failure to build civilian nuclear reactors in Saudi Arabia may allow countries that lack nuclear proliferation standards to step in.
“We think it is very important for whoever is building civil nuclear plants in the world that they work with the United States,” Perry said, touting America's non-proliferation standards.
Perry showed no indication that the departure of hard-line National Security Advisor John Bolton would change the administration's policies toward Iran and Venezuela.
Until Iran “comes to the table” and make changes to show they can be “good citizens” of the world, they can expect strong sanctions to remain, Perry said. Iran hasn't show it's willing to act in an acceptable manner.
Likewise, he said sanctions against Venezuela are likely to remain in place until there is a change in the regime in that country. Perry said that there are ongoing talks within the Trump administration on Chevron Corp.'s existing waiver in Venezuela.
--With assistance from David Westin.
To contact the reporters on this story: Ari Natter in Washington at anatter5@bloomberg.net;Stephen Cunningham in Washington at scunningha10@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jon Morgan at jmorgan97@bloomberg.net, Elizabeth Wasserman
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