We’ll get nukes if Iran does, says crown prince
Saudi Arabia’s powerful crown prince has threatened a new Middle East arms race, saying that if Iran develops a nuclear weapon, he will also seek to obtain one.
Mohammed bin Salman has already joined forces with United States President Donald Trump to argue for a stronger stance against Iran, Saudi Arabia’s arch-rival in the region.
In an interview to be broadcast on US network
CBS this weekend, he goes further, replying aggressively to a question about the Iranian nuclear programme.
‘‘Saudi Arabia does not want to acquire any nuclear bomb, but without a doubt if Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible,’’ he says.
The prince’s words will be seen as another sign of how the aggressive foreign policy stance adopted by the Trump White House is spilling out across the world – as evidenced by the sacking of Rex Tillerson as secretary of state. He has been replaced by Mike Pompeo, former head of the CIA and a hard-right Republican, who strongly opposed the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.
The prince has aligned himself strongly with Trump’s personal advisers, in particular Jared Kushner, the president’s son-inlaw, with whom he has discussed regional issues including Saudi Arabia’s disagreements with Qatar and new proposals for a Middle East peace deal that strongly favour Israel.
In the interview, the prince compares Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to Adolf Hitler, in that the West had stood
SAUDI ARABIA:
by and allowed both to extend their power and influence unchecked. ‘‘I don’t want to see the same events happening in the Middle East.’’
He says that Saudi Arabia, the Sunni Muslim powerhouse in the region, is militarily and economically stronger than Iran, a largely Shia Muslim nation. ‘‘Iran is not a rival to Saudi Arabia. Iran is far from being equal to Saudi Arabia.’’
Analysts say the prince and Trump are wagering that, faced with their threats, Iran will back down and offer concessions to save the nuclear deal. Trump believes that similar threats to Kim Jong-un have forced the North Korean dictator to the negotiating table, with a meeting planned before May.
In practice, the US and its ally Israel will not welcome the idea of Saudi Arabia gaining nuclear weapons, although the Riyadh government is seeking American support for a civil nuclear power programme to reduce the country’s reliance on oil.
The Saudis had earlier opened talks with South Korea and China to buy nuclear plants, but now propose to build 16 plants over the next 25 years with American support. Any such deal would hinge on tight assurances that the kingdom would not seek to develop its own uranium enrichment or plutonium reprocessing programmes of the sort needed for nuclear weapons.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, argued strongly during a visit to Washington this month against Saudi Arabia being allowed to develop these technologies. – The Times