Saudi Arabia discusses nuclear plans, reveals Riyadh’s condition

On the back of its recovering relations with Israel, Saudi Arabia explained its plan to acquire nuclear weapons. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Riyadh will seek nuclear weapons if archrival Iran acquires one.

The Crown Prince also reaffirmed his kingdom’s solidifying ties with Israel, saying that the two former enemies were getting closer every day.

Mohammed bin Salman’s statement on nuclear weapons has worried nuclear nonproliferation experts, news agency Associated Press reported. Experts said the US is granting the kingdom the ability to enrich uranium itself could fuel a regional arms race, the report added.

“For us, the Palestinian issue is very important. We need to solve that part,” Saudi Arabi’s de facto leader told Fox News in an interview while addressing the Israel-Palestine conflict.

“We got to see where we go,” the Crown Prince said. “We hope that will reach a place, that it will ease the life of the Palestinians, get Israel as a player in the Middle East,” he added in the Fox News interview.

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Prince Mohammed has given very few interviews to Western media outlets, particularly since the 2018 killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident and Washington Post columnist, in an operation by Saudi agents that US intelligence says was likely approved by the prince. The prince has denied any involvement.

(With AP inputs)