Saudi Arabia vows to develop its own nuclear weapons if Iran restarts program

Riyadh, May 10: Saudi Arabia on Wednesday reiterated its commitment to develop its own nuclear weapons if Iran restarts its atomic weapons program. The statement from Saudi Arabia comes a day after President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of United States in the 2015 landmark nuclear deal.

 

Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir while talking to media said, “Saudi will develop its own nuclear arsenal if Iran restarts its efforts to build nukes.” Asked what his country will do if Iran restarts its nuclear program, Adel Al-Jubeir said, "we will do whatever it takes to protect our people. We have made it very clear that if Iran acquires a nuclear capability we will do everything we can to do the same."

Asked to clarify whether that means Saudi Arabia will work to acquire its own nuclear capability, al-Jubeir said, "That's what we mean." The Saudi Foreign Minister also praised President Donald Trump's announcement that the US was quitting the Iran nuclear deal.

"We believe the nuclear deal was flawed," al-Jubeir noted, criticizing portions of the agreement that expire and the fact that its scope is limited to nuclear issues. "We believe the deal does not deal with Iran's ballistic missile program nor does it deal with Iran's support for terrorism," he concluded.

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump accused Iran of supporting terror and announced the withdrawal of United States the 2015 landmark nuclear deal. After the announcement, President Trump also signed a fresh set of sanctions against Iran and warned countries against any cooperation with Tehran on its controversial nuclear weapons programme.

On the other side, energy-rich Saudi Arabia is a fierce regional rival of Iran and is already seeking the help of United States in starting its own nuclear program.

BACKGROUND:

The historic deal was an Obama- era accord which Trump has repeatedly criticised as disastrous. He alleged that the deal gave Iran millions in cash and did not prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons. The President warned any nation that helps Iran in its quest for nuclear weapons of sanctions by the United States.

The historic nuclear deal was reached in Vienna in July 2015 between Iran and the P5 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council) along with Germany and the European Union.