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 (https://www.nytimes.com/by/david-e-sa...) , the White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading:  • The United States signed a deal (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/22/us...) to help Saudi Arabia obtain nuclear power. • With his latest threats, Mr. Trump has signaled to Iran that he is willing to escalate (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/21/us...) . Photo: Kenny Holston/The New York Times For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily (http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-t...) . Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts (http://nytimes.com/podcasts) or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-acce.... For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.