Saudi Arabia's nuclear program

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A nuclear program in Saudi Arabia is not known. The country has ratified the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and is a member of the association of states that are striving for a nuclear weapon-free zone in the Middle East . In studies of the proliferation of nuclear weapons, Saudi Arabia is not ranked among the states of concern. Nevertheless, there have been repeated media reports in recent years that Saudi Arabia is trying to obtain the nuclear weapon from an external source and thus become a nuclear power .

In May 2008, the US government ( George W. Bush Cabinet ) and Saudi Arabia signed a memorandum recognizing Saudi Arabia's increased efforts to establish a civilian nuclear program.

The Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is negotiating with the Trump administration to buy nuclear reactors in the United States.

history

In 2003, an internal strategy paper was made public that listed three options for the Saudi Arabian government:

  • to buy a nuclear deterrent
  • to enter into an alliance and to be protected by an existing nuclear education or
  • to try to implement the Middle East Nuclear Weapons Free Zone agreement.

UN officials and weapons specialists said in 2003 that this paper was triggered by the loosening of relations with the US, concerns about Iran's nuclear program and the lack of international pressure on Israel to abandon its nuclear weapons program. Since Iran has been suspected of developing nuclear weapons, some Arab states have been arming themselves.

cooperation

The Iraqi nuclear program

In 1994 Mohammed Khilewi, a former diplomat from Saudi Arabia, applied for asylum in the United States . He delivered a package of 14,000 documents, which, among other things, should also prove support for the Iraqi nuclear program . According to these documents, the Saudi Arabian government is said to have supported the Iraqi nuclear program during the regime of Saddam Hussein with five billion dollars - provided that successfully developed nuclear technology and possibly even nuclear weapons were transferred to Saudi Arabia. The allegations have not been corroborated by any other source and the official American position is that there is no evidence of Saudi support for Iraq's nuclear effort. Saudi Arabia denies the allegations. In addition, leading forces in the Clinton administration at the time have confirmed that there were no references to be found in Khilewi's files to confirm media reports on a Saudi Arabian nuclear program. These included Robert Pelletreau from the State Department and Bruce Riedel from the United States National Security Council .

Pakistan's nuclear program

In 2003 it was reported that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had entered into a secret "nuclear cooperation" agreement. As a result, Saudi Arabia should receive nuclear weapons technology in exchange for cheap oil for Pakistan. By detonating atomic bombs in 1998, Pakistan proved that it can build atomic bombs.

In March 2006, the German magazine Cicero reported that Saudi Arabia had received aid from Pakistan since 2003 to acquire nuclear artillery pieces and warheads. Satellite photos allegedly showed a hidden city and missile silos near the Ghauri Rocks in Al-Sulaiyil , south of the capital, Riyadh . In 2006, among other things, Pakistan denied supporting Saudi Arabia with any nuclear ambitions.

Funds and investments flow from the Saudi Ministry of Defense into the Pakistani defense industry. A participation of Saudi Arabia, which financed the Pakistani nuclear program "to a not inconsiderable part" , is largely assured ; unofficially, 50% is spoken of.

Nuclear programs of the Gulf States

Furthermore, the Arab states of the Persian Gulf are planning to start their own joint civil nuclear program, which heightened fear of proliferation . In March 2007, the foreign ministers of the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council met in Saudi Arabia to discuss the progress of the December 2006 plans.

Missile capacity

1988 Saudi Arabia earned an unknown number of CSS-2 - medium-range missiles , the km a range of 2,800 with a payload of 2000 kg have. The CSS-2 was originally designed to carry a hydrogen bomb , but the version acquired by Saudi Arabia was equipped with a conventional warhead. These weapons are currently being phased out in China. The kingdom also has an unknown number of Ghauri II medium-range missiles.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Parties to the NPT ( en ) Disarmament.un.org. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
  2. ↑ Akaki Dvali. Center for Nonproliferation Studies (nti.org) (March 2004). Will Saudi Arabia Acquire Nuclear Weapons? ( Memento of February 10, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) ; Arnaud de Borchgrave. Washington Times (October 22, 2003)
  3. ^ US Congress, Office of Technology Assessment : Technologies Underlying Weapons of Mass Destruction . United States Government Printing Office , Washington, DC December 1993, OTA-BP-ISC-115, p. 239. ( Full text in the archives of Princeton University )
  4. ↑ [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080516.wsaudioil0516/BNStory/Business www.theglobeandmail.com] (404)
  5. ↑ thehill.com March 18, 2018: Saudi energy deal push sparks nuclear weapon concerns
  6. ^ The Guardian (September 18, 2003) (en). Saudis consider nuclear bomb
  7. ↑ spiegel.de November 29, 2010: The secret alliance
  8. ↑ John Pike: Saudi Arabia Special Weapons ( en ) Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
  9. ↑ Weapons of Mass Destruction in the Middle East, James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies ( Memento of May 7, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  10. ↑ Akaki Dvali. Center for Nonproliferation Studies (nti.org) (March 2004) (en). Will Saudi Arabia Acquire Nuclear Weapons? ( Memento of February 10, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) ; Arnaud de Borchgrave. Washington Times (October 22, 2003)
  11. ^ John Pike: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia in secret nuke pact ( en ) Globalsecurity.org. October 22, 2003. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
  12. ↑ forbes.com: Saudia Arabia working on secret nuclear program with Pakistan help - report , accessed December 28, 2010
  13. ^ " Pakistan rejects report on N-help to Saudis ( Memento of January 16, 2009 in the Internet Archive )", Daily Times (Pakistan), (March 30, 2006) (en).
  14. ↑ Source: Umweltinstitut München eV, information brochure III p. 4
  15. ↑ Souhail Karam: Saudi defends Gulf Arab atom plans, criticizes Iran ( en ) Reuters. Retrieved December 28, 2010.