Report: Saudi Nuke Deal Reignites Fears of Middle East Arms Race
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by Chris Coffey
Nuclear explosion. Photo: wiki commons.
Saudi Arabia has quietly signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with South Korea, according to The Wall Street Journal, reigniting fears that U.S. nuclear negotiations with Iran might drive a Middle East nuclear arms race.
The Saudi deal with South Korea will explore the feasibility of building two nuclear reactors in Saudi Arabia over the next 20 years, according to the report.
Saudi Arabia has consistently voiced worry over the U.S. negotiations with Iran, and has been sending signals that it will seek to develop its own nuclear technology should Iran continue with its nuclear program.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Saudi Arabia might even seek to “buy an atomic bomb…if it sees an agreement with Iran as too weak.”
Some believe that Pakistan has already made nuclear weapons for Saudi Arabia. The BBC reported in 2013 that such weapons are “ready for delivery” to the Saudis should Iran cross the nuclear threshold.
The Obama Administration is working to quell Saudi worries about its negotiations with Iran. Secretary of State John Kerry even flew to Saudi Arabia earlier in the month to convince the Sunni nation that the current nuclear negotiations will not lead to Iranian hegemony over the Middle East.
