Saudi Arabia threatens to develop nuclear weapons against Iran

Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir reiterated a previous threat against its regional rival Tehran.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab Staff

18 November, 2020

Adel al-Jubeir said nuclear armaments are 'definitely an option [Getty]

Saudi Arabia could arm itself with nuclear weapons if Iran is not stopped from making them, a leading government minister has said.

Riyadh has previously issued similar warnings amid growing fears that Tehran is working to develop nuclear weapons.

"It's definitely an option," Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir told the DPA news agency in an interview.

"And Saudi Arabia has made it very clear, that it will do everything it can to protect its people and to protect its territories," he added.

Since the United States' withdrawal from a landmark nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, Tehran has enriched uranium to levels beyond the limits set by the 2015 accord.

US President Donald Trump had pledged during his election campaign in 2016 to scrap the deal.

Two years later he pulled the US out of the agreement and enacted a policy of "maximum pressure" on Iran, involving sanctions and the threat of military action.

Saudi Arabia has largely backed Trump's confrontational stance toward its regional rival.

"We believe the Iranians have only responded to pressure," Al-Jubeir said.

With Trump having failed to secure a second term in office, supporters of the 2015 accord, including European states, hope that Biden will hold to his pledge of restoring the deal.

Asked about what he expects to see from Biden's incoming administration in January, Al-Jubeir said: "We will have to see."

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