Fears that Iran’s nuclear program will spark a dangerous regional nuclear race are intensifying, with a leading Republican in Congress criticizing a proposed nuclear deal between Washington and Saudi Arabia.

“The potential consequences of spreading nuclear technology, facilities, and know-how to yet another unstable regime in the Middle East are alarming,” Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement yesterday. “Nuclearizing the most dangerous region in the world poses an enormous and unnecessary risk that has few or no benefits for this country.”

Between February 2006 and January 2007, 13 Middle Eastern countries either announced plans to explore atomic energy or revived pre-existing nuclear programs, the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies reported this week. “If Tehran’s nuclear program is unchecked, there is reason for concern that it could in time prompt a regional cascade of proliferation among Iran’s neighbors,” the report said.

Ms. Ros-Lehtinen also expressed concern about rewarding the Gulf region’s oil producers as American drivers are paying ever higher prices for gas. “At a time when Saudi Arabia and its allies in the OPEC cartel are squeezing consumers with devastatingly high oil prices, the Bush Administration is rewarding the Kingdom with promises of future nuclear cooperation,” she said.