RNA - Administration reports on President Trump’s discussions with Salman have, however, neglected a major topic of discussion: Saudi Arabia’s nuclear ambitions. Subsequent reports reveal that the nuclear program has been a topic of discussion, though to what extent still isn’t totally clear. In recent days the crown prince has talked openly of wanting nuclear arms “as soon as possible” if they believe Iran will get them. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir has also confirmed this, and used virtually identical language in doing so.
Although the IAEA reports maintain that Iran is committed to the JCPOA and isn’t attempting to get nuclear weapons – and doesn’t want to, President Trump’s expected blowing up of the P5+1 nuclear deal is likely to set off a bunch of wild speculation as the Saudis are clearly laying the groundwork for their own reaction. This is important, because US officials acknowledge that President Trump is considering allowing Saudi Arabia to enrich its own uranium with US-made centrifuges. There is even talk of the US building nuclear reactors in Saudi Arabia.
It’s not what the international civil society wants to hear, however. Given what the Saudis, their allies and their terrorist proxies have done to Iraq, Syria and Yemen, the United Nations has every reason to petition the sound minds in Washington to block any Saudi nuclear program, and to insure that the Saudis don’t get their hands on reactors.
After all, it’s not that hard for the US to object to the Saudis getting nuclear access in and of itself. The Saudi regime is America’s strategic patron in the Middle East and there is indeed a lot of risk associated with giving them centrifuges and know-how and turning them loose. One being Saudi Arabia’s extremist Wahhabism ideology and the irrefutable fact – as acknowledged by former and current Western leaders and officials – that they are the ones that paved the way for the emergence of militant groups like ISIL and Al-Qaeda with a helping hand from secret intelligence services in Washington and Tel Aviv.
The point is, European officials are trying to placate the US, while Russia, China, and most importantly Iran aren’t going along with the idea. The EU nations are gradually coming to realize that even if they do come through with some of the big changes Trump wants, there is every reason to believe he might withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and do the unthinkable anyhow. He has long made clear his opposition to the deal, and with May 12 seen as the end, his demands seem designed to fail – hence giving a perfect excuse to Riyadh to pursue its nuclear ambitions and destabilize the entire planet:
- Trump wants Salman to share Saudi Arabia’s wealth to create US jobs by purchasing more American-made weapons – the type of weapons that keep falling into terrorist hands and keep dropping on Yemeni heads.
- In the past nine months alone, Trump has secured over $100 billion in foreign military sales to Saudi Arabia.
- Salman says last year's Saudi pledge of $200 billion in investments will rise to approximately $400 billion and that a 10-year window to implement the deal is already under way.
None of these seem like a good idea for world peace and stability. Salman didn’t just meet with Trump to talk business and American jobs. The delusional 32-year-old crown prince also met with Defense Secretary James Mattis, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, and National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster for more. After Washington engagements, the Saudi delegation also met with defense industry giants Lockheed Martin and Boeing.
In the prevailing environment, it is wrong to conclude that the Saudis only went to Washington to secure business and conventional military sales that according to several memos were proposed by the State Department and the Defense Security Cooperation Agency in the first place. The Saudis used their petrodollars to convince Trump to also allow the biggest sectarian agitator in the world to enrich its own uranium with US-made centrifuges, and for the US to build nuclear reactors in Saudi Arabia. Any doubters should ask the “delusional and naïve” Salman who has just mentioned the possibility of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.
Source: Fars News
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