- WINEP’s Simon Henderson: Saudi nuclear power plants & proliferation
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman vowed that his country would pursue a nuclear weapon if Iran did during a Thursday preview of an interview on CBS ahead of his visit to Washington next week. The crown prince, who is also defense minister, said his country does not want to pursue nuclear weapons, but added “without a doubt, if Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we would follow suit as soon as possible.” He also called Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “the new Hitler of the Middle East.” Read More
Saudi Arabia has hired an international law firm specializing in energy regulation in its efforts to extract a favorable agreement on civil nuclear cooperation from the United States. Newly published lobbying disclosures reveal that the Saudi Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources hired Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman in the past few days to “advise” it on “a potential bilateral agreement with the United States concerning peaceful uses of nuclear energy.” Saudi insistence on retaining certain capabilities that could be used to produce nuclear weapons faces steep resistance in Congress even as some elements of the Donald Trump administration seem open to a more flexible deal. Read More