Saudi Nuclear Bomb Ambitions: New Europe

US Deputy Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette assured European allies at the Munich Security Conference that the US does not support development of a nuclear bomb by Saudi Arabia. “Saudi Arabia has refused to rule out weapons-grade uranium enrichment, saying the Kingdom may need to consider its own nuclear weapons programme in order to counter its arch-enemy, Iran’s, perceived nuclear ambitions and the Islamic Republic’s advanced nuclear research and enrichment capabilities,” reports New Europe. “The fear spreading throughout the region and in the halls of power in the West is that the Kingdom is looking to develop nuclear fuel, some of which could be diverted for a covert weapons project….” Saudi Arabia already has its own nuclear technology research centers, insisting these are for civilian energy purposes. Yet the nation resists international inspections, and there are reports of links between Saudi financing and Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program. Vox summarizes extensive reporting on the Trump administration’s plans, including those by former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, to open nuclear power plants throughout Saudi Arabia, despite the US Atomic Energy Act of 1954 and the goal of nuclear proliferation. Security analysts worry about nuclear technology falling into the hands of extremists. – YaleGlobal