President Obama meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef at the White House on Wednesday. Saudi Arabia has vowed to match Iran's nuclear capability. Photo: Screenshot.

JNS.org – Officials from Saudi Arabia say they plan to match Iran in nuclear enrichment capability.

“We can’t sit back and be nowhere as Iran is allowed to retain much of its capability and amass its research,” an anonymous Arab leader at Thursday’s U.S.-organized Camp David summit told the New York Times. Former Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki bin Faisal had said earlier this week, “Whatever the Iranians have, we will have, too.”

President Barack Obama is hosting Arab leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council at the White House and Camp David this week to discuss the framework Iranian nuclear deal and other regional issues. A number of Arab leaders, including King Salman of Saudi Arabia, are not attending the summit in an apparent sign of displeasure with Obama’s Middle East policies.

Many Mideast experts have long warned that Iran’s nuclear program could set off a nuclear arms race in the region. Under the framework deal reached in April between Iran and world powers, Iran would be permitted to keep 5,000 nuclear centrifuges and conduct a limited amount of uranium enrichment.