Saudi Arab Threatens To Abandon Its Non-Nuclear Status

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

can you give me location of this on google map. it will be very interesting to see if Chinese have same kind of missile launching facility as has KSA. As KSA must have borrowed the practice from PLA.

not 100% sure

21.054443,42.881256

21.045216,42.878627

21.049985,42.876398

21.06208,42.852419

21.069158,42.848428

 

[roma]

And what is the US doing about this?
Soon we will have the Armageddon between the Shias and the Sunnis.
Maybe that is the aim!

exactly how it will be done , i dare not suggest,
but we can see the pressure building up

now with pak's publicly declared love affair with taleban
first hiding ossama and now this other one ( chief of pak taleban ) only a mile from GHQ,
threatening to block nato supplies -. a 2nd time - with more resoluteness,
proliferation of nukes to saudi
possibility of supplying Muslim nuke to any other OIC nation
needless to mention , help to iran

economic and strategic analysis of options
would give a firm green light
to "international" direct protective & pre-emptive policing action

in packland !

 

[Compersion]

The customary thought is that the middle-east will move towards being nuclear weapon free and strengthen the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

if pakistan is in a nuclear coterie with saudi arabi that makes the middle east nuclear armed and destroys the customary thought built up by the western powers and the middle-eastern states (with israel having opacity on it having nuclear weapons).

either you disable the customary thought and proceed that middle-east will be nuclear armed (and throw down the drain the argument that Iran cannot have nuclear development the way it wants) if not you disable the chance for middle-east to be nuclear armed and make it nuclear weapon free.

everyone knows the extent that pakis go to tell everyone they are arabic.

if pakistan is stepping into the middle-east they must be knowing that it is a sphere of USA and Israeli domination.

not sure they are equipped mentally to take up such a proposition.

also how many times does a state have to destabilize nuclear non-proliferation structure of the world before being punish.

 

[nrupatunga]

What lies behind Saudi-Pak nuclear weapons cooperation

On November 6, BBC's Newsnight programme broke the sensational news that Saudi Arabia, which had invested substantially in Pakistan's nuclear weapons projects, would be able to obtain nuclear weapons 'at will' from Pakistan, possibly even before Iran had perfected its own capabilities.

The news report quoted a source in Israeli military intelligence and a NATO source to support its assertions. The NATO source said that weapons were in fact ready for delivery, while the Israeli source said the Saudis, sensing progress in the Iranian weapons programme, 'will go to Pakistan and bring what they need to bring'.

Within a day, this report was dismissed by the founding father of Pakistan's nuclear programme, A Q Khan, who denied that Pakistan had reached a secret deal to provide nuclear weapons to Saudi Arabia.

He pointed out that neither Pakistan nor Saudi Arabia had anything to gain from this transaction. The Pakistani Foreign Office dismissed the allegations as 'baseless,' being supported in this by former ISI chief, Lieutenant General Hamid Gul.

A close scrutiny of the BBC report makes it clear that the principal source for it is Israel and some elements of its lobby in Washington. First, the timing: The report emerged when Iran's dialogue with the P5+1 had just commenced, and there was every possibility of progress.

Israel, of course, has been totally opposed to the recent US-Iran 'detente': It has over the years gained substantial support from large sections of the US political establishment to which it has projected Iran's nuclear ambitions as an 'existential threat'.

In fact, the pro-Israel lobby has over several years worked closely with the American right-wing, particularly in the Republican party, to scuttle any attempt at a US-Iran understanding.

However, the situation now is much more complex. Israel's anti-Iran posture finds a favourable echo in Saudi Arabia.

,p>Since the advent of the Arab Spring nearly three years ago, Saudi Arabia, fearing the prospect of political reform in Bahrain (which could resonate across the region), has demonised Iran, accusing it of 'interference' in the affairs of the Arab Gulf States in pursuit of 'Persian' hegemony and the promotion of its sectarian interests.

In the face of the Iranian challenge, Saudi Arabia had abandoned its traditional quietist and moderate approach to foreign affairs and has adopted an aggressive and strident posture, challenging Iran bilaterally and across different theatres in West Asia.

The principal conflict between these two Islamic giants is now taking place in Syria. A regime change in that country would snap its strategic links with Iran which would cut off Iran's outreach to the Mediterranean and deny it access to the lifeline supporting the Hezbollah; the latter would obviously serve Israel's security interests as well.

Hence, till just before the Presidents Rouhani-Obama rapprochement in September, a formidable anti-Iran alliance encompassing Saudi Arabia, Israel and the United States had been set up. This alliance has received a jolt from the US defection and the prospect of nuclear and strategic accommodation between the US and Iran.

Reports relating to the Saudi-Pak nuclear weapons cooperation have to be seen in this background. They are meant to sound alarm bells in Washington, reminding the Obama administration that its overtures to the Islamic republic would have serious negative consequences in terms of its ties with its closest allies in the region, particularly with Saudi Arabia dramatically moving away from the US embrace to acquire nuclear weapons from Pakistan and thus change the regional strategic scenario fundamentally.

However, beyond the ringing of these alarm bells in Washington, there is not much substance in the news reports. Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme has emerged from its strategic ties with China, and its delivery systems have come from North Korea.

While Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United States were close allies through the 'global jihad' in Afghanistan in the 1980s, there is no evidence that Saudi Arabia funded the Pakistani weapons programme, which was in fact developed with the full knowledge of the United States.

Again, in spite of sporadic reports from dubious sources, there is no evidence of a Pakistani commitment that to ship these weapons to Saudi Arabia in the event of a so-called 'Shia-bomb' being developed in Iran.

Pakistan has its own complex ties with the United States which have weathered serious differences between them from time to time. Given the strategic value of these ties in the context of Pakistan's ongoing confrontation with India, it is unlikely that Pakistan would take any action that would seriously jeopardise its links with the US.

Similarly, Saudi Arabia and the United States also have ties that are solidly founded on mutual interests: the United States is the sole hegemonic power that guarantees the security of the region, facilitates the steady flow of oil and ensures the continued rule of the traditional monarchies of Saudi Arabia and the other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

The Kingdom and the United States are allies, but obviously there are important areas where they have differences. They had become quite estranged at the time of the 9/11 attacks which had involved at least 15 Saudi nationals, but the logic of mutual interests had ensured that they came together fairly quickly.

Later, Saudi Arabia had counselled against the US assault on Iraq, since regime change there would bring a Shia regime to power and potentially enhance Iran's strategic capabilities in the region, but soon accommodated itself to US interests.

More recently, after the Arab Spring, Saudi Arabia has three specific grievances with the United States: That it allowed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to be deposed; that it did not give fulsome support to the military coup led by General Al Sisi, and that it did not lead an air assault on Syria to depose the Assad regime.

As if these concerns were not enough, Saudi Arabia is watching with deep dissatisfaction the steady progress being made in Iran's ties with the US on the nuclear issue. The nightmare scenario for the Kingdom is a US-Iranian 'grand bargain' in terms of which they would accommodate each other's interests across the Gulf and West Asia, which would leave Iran as the paramount power in the region.

Saudi Arabia signalled its unhappiness with the US by refusing to speak at the UN General Assembly and refusing to take its hard-won seat at the Security Council, uncharacteristic expressions of surly petulance!

Just as Saudi Arabia's expectations from the US were exaggerated and unrealistic, so too are its fears. It is quite unlikely that the US and Iran will strike a grand bargain or that the US will abandon its allies, Israel and Saudi Arabia: Far too many mutual interests, supported by powerful lobbies, are involved in these ties.

What is in fact more likely is that Saudi Arabia, which for most of the last 20 years has actually had good working relations with Iran, will in the near future work towards rebuilding its relations with the Islamic Republic.

The mindless bloodletting in Syria, with no prospect of a clear victory for any side, should make it clear to the two countries that the sectarian divide and their aggressive rivalry do not serve their interests, and that the best option for them is regional stability based on rapprochement and mutual accommodation.

Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad, a distinguished diplomat, is a former Indian ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

 

[sorcerer]

Saudi Arab Threatens To Abandon Its Non-Nuclear Status

An influential member of the Saudi royal family, Prince Turki bin Faisal Al Saud believes that the deal on Iran's nuclear program could push other states of the region into production of nuclear fuel.

BBC writes that the Prince particularly said if Iran would be allowed to go ahead with its nuclear program, then Saudi Arab and other countries will also demand the same rights.

Turki binFaisal, the youngest son of the king and the former head of Saudi intelligence, is now considered an unofficial envoy of the Saudi government.

Meanwhile, the six international negotiators on Iran's Nuclear Program say that the accepted measures are sufficient to restrict Tehran's developments to peaceful atom. But critics of this plan believe in order not to provoke a regional arms race on the basis of the rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arab, the Islamic Republic should completely dismantle its nuclear program.

US President Barack Obama on 3rd March said that Iran should agree to freeze sensitive nuclear activity for at least a decade if it wants to strike a deal with the US, However, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called this proposal unacceptable.

On March 7th US Secretary of State John Kerry after talks with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius in Paris stressed the need to achieve a reliable agreement on Iran, saying Tehran must prove the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear program.

A day later, Foreign Minister of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif said that the probability of the "nuclear deal" between Iran and the six negotiator countries is greater than 50%.




Read more: http://hindi.sputniknews.com/world/20150317/1013787257.html#ixzz3UeTwOlNA
==

I wonder who is doing the sales pitch in SA.

 

[anoop_mig25]

Saudi Arab Threatens To Abandon Its Non-Nuclear Status

An influential member of the Saudi royal family, Prince Turki bin Faisal Al Saud believes that the deal on Iran's nuclear program could push other states of the region into production of nuclear fuel.

BBC writes that the Prince particularly said if Iran would be allowed to go ahead with its nuclear program, then Saudi Arab and other countries will also demand the same rights.

Turki binFaisal, the youngest son of the king and the former head of Saudi intelligence, is now considered an unofficial envoy of the Saudi government.

Meanwhile, the six international negotiators on Iran's Nuclear Program say that the accepted measures are sufficient to restrict Tehran's developments to peaceful atom. But critics of this plan believe in order not to provoke a regional arms race on the basis of the rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arab, the Islamic Republic should completely dismantle its nuclear program.

US President Barack Obama on 3rd March said that Iran should agree to freeze sensitive nuclear activity for at least a decade if it wants to strike a deal with the US, However, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called this proposal unacceptable.

On March 7th US Secretary of State John Kerry after talks with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius in Paris stressed the need to achieve a reliable agreement on Iran, saying Tehran must prove the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear program.

A day later, Foreign Minister of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif said that the probability of the "nuclear deal" between Iran and the six negotiator countries is greater than 50%.




Read more: http://hindi.sputniknews.com/world/20150317/1013787257.html#ixzz3UeTwOlNA
==

I wonder who is doing the sales pitch in SA.

why he is treatning...

he allready got nukes with help from pak

 

[sorcerer]

why he is treatning...

he allready got nukes with help from pak

err....its all talk..the nuke about puke talk.
Pak has not handed over the nuke to Saudis yet!!! I suppose..

 

[Rowdy]

err....its all talk..the nuke about puke talk.
Pak has not handed over the nuke to Saudis yet!!! I suppose..

Hope they nuke each other after the world moves on from oil.
No love lost.

 

[anoop_mig25]

err....its all talk..the nuke about puke talk.
Pak has not handed over the nuke to Saudis yet!!! I suppose..

funded by saudi money and they wont help saudi-family in case of any hypothetical nuke attacks by iran would be great betrayal by pak

 

[anupamsurey]

who knows ? they might already have a dirty bomb, with Pak, china and north Korea in the game.....and i seriously doubt that country can formulate its own technology for nukes, hell the even can't manufacture equipments for their own oil refineries.

 

[Tshering22]

This is a credible threat.

And since he has issued it, we can safely believe that USA knows it very well. For all we can say, they might have given it to his country via Pakistan.

Remember the weapons tech consignment that was caught in Kolkata airport which was due flying to China two years ago? it was apprehended because the aircraft flew with CIV code while doing a job of MIL in the transponder.

So it is not wrong if we assume that USA thinking that Iran will go nuclear anyway, might hand down the nukes to Saudi.

If American government didn't know this, be prepared for FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY US style.

 

[Compersion]

it cannot be a two nation being the Sunni protector and warriors for the whole world. it is confusing for the people that visit mecca to see and understand. also giving Pakis vip treatment for perpetuity is like PRC-Paki relationship which Saudis do not want to enter into.

it can either be Pakis if not Saudis (arabs)

If Saudis want to do it now it will be at the expense of Pakis. The Pakis will not easily give up such a mantle. The Saudis are building capacity and development and also they have positional and religious location to eventually question why Pakis need the nukes. Saudis offering military umbrella to Pakis that will be for the future. already it is nearly there with conventional arms.

The Saudis supporting a take down of Paki nukes in support for the capability to have their own nukes -> i wont be surprised ... It wont be the Americans but PRC (and other players) that will support this. The region has seen what happened to Libya and South Africa and now Iran .

Iran is the main item that Saudi will have to deal with in exchange for Saudis keeping and holding the nukes for Islam at the expense of Pakis.

 

[DingDong]

If Saudis manage to make Islamic Bomb, whole world will burn. Hoards of Salafis and Wahhabis will be unleashed on the world.

 

[warrior monk]

The Saudis don't have the technical know how nor the scientific manpower , Arabs should stop comparing themselves with Persians .

 

[archie]

Surprising that they want nuke energy in the first place.. they have one of the biggest wastelands and sun shining to make as much as energy as possible

 

[sgarg]

Likely Saudis already have the bomb. Now Israel's status has come out in the open. Soon Saudi's will come out in the open. There is no mystery. If one has cash, one can always buy what he wants. And Saudi has the cash. I am certain either Pakistan or North Korea will sell the bomb for money.

Likely Iran also has the bomb. The only difference here is that arsenals of Iran and Saudi are likely very small to make any appreciable change to the balance of power in the world.

 

[smestarz]

Well the Saudis can put a nuclear plant which I undertand will take at least a few years to put. Further that place then becomes one of the target for Iran in case there is a war.. But on other hand, Saudi has a lot of space and it can use it for solar energy. This is safe and it can be implemented like satellites at fraction of the cost of nuclear powerplant. Further in case iran bombs it in future, there is no nuclear fallout in case of Solar energy plants.

 

[sorcerer]

Likely Saudis already have the bomb. Now Israel's status has come out in the open. Soon Saudi's will come out in the open. There is no mystery. If one has cash, one can always buy what he wants. And Saudi has the cash. I am certain either Pakistan or North Korea will sell the bomb for money.

Likely Iran also has the bomb. The only difference here is that arsenals of Iran and Saudi are likely very small to make any appreciable change to the balance of power in the world.

Hmmm.. Wasnt Saudi and a few Middle East nations under the hypothetical Nuclear Umbrella of USA.
Having a nuke in Saudi will escalte the tension in the region. + Fanatic Terror groups funded and supported by these countries..a dangerous combination which not just USA but a whole lot of countries want to avoid.

IMO, The overt nature of Saudi on procurement of nukes is to destabilize the talks of Iran with the west and isolate it further, thus shunting Iran from competition on oil trades with lots of nations.

 

[tarunraju]

Saudis going nuclear is bad news for Pakistan, not India. Pakis will no longer be seen as the only Muslims with nukes, and a case could be built up for nuclear disarmament of Pakistan.

 

[Ashutosh Lokhande]

saudi going nuclear is bad news for israel.