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Asian Angle | Saudi Arabia needs stronger nuclear safeguards to dispel alarmist fears about weaponisation
- Saudi Arabia’s nuclear energy programme can include further IAEA safeguards to ease concerns about an arms race in the Middle East
- While the kingdom has flagged the Iranian nuclear threat, the US should also realign its outdated views on proliferation
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Saudi Arabia can do more to address concerns about its nuclear energy programme by implementing additional safeguards and assuring that it is not seeking a path towards weaponisation.
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Such fears have been sparked by its stance on the Iranian nuclear threat and its non-commitment towards stronger safeguards under the aegis of the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reiterated that Saudi Arabia would have to get a nuclear weapon “if Iran does”, in an interview with Fox News aired on September 20.
Saudi Arabia then surprised observers by belatedly agreeing on Monday to accept oversight of its nascent nuclear-energy programme by the IAEA, ending more than a decade of resistance to pressure from the United States.
These developments took place against the backdrop of Saudi Arabia’s ongoing negotiations with the US over a prospective normalisation of relations between the kingdom and Israel.
Aside from substantial concessions on Palestinian statehood as conditions for diplomatic ties with Israel, Riyadh also wanted a substantial US commitment to its defence against the threat posed by Iran and its proxies in the Middle East.
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