Bin Salman Expresses Concern Over Potential Iranian Nuclear Weapons; If They Have It, We Must Have It Too

Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, expressed concern on Wednesday in an interview with Fox News regarding the possibility of the Islamic Republic of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons, stating that if this occurs, Saudi Arabia must also obtain nuclear weapons. According to Reuters, bin Salman said in the interview, "This is a wrong move. If you use nuclear weapons, you must have a big fight with the rest of the world." When asked what would happen if the Islamic Republic acquires a nuclear bomb, he replied, "If they acquire nuclear weapons, we must have nuclear weapons too." When asked to describe the negotiations between Israel and Saudi Arabia for a historic agreement and the expansion of diplomatic relations, he said, "Every day we are getting closer to normalizing relations with Israel." The Fox News interview with the Saudi Crown Prince comes as the Biden administration continues its efforts to mediate historical relations between the two regional powers, key allies of Washington in the Middle East. Meanwhile, the normalization talks include "U.S. security guarantees and civilian nuclear assistance that Riyadh has been seeking, as well as potential concessions from Israel to the Palestinians." The interview with bin Salman aired following a meeting between Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on Wednesday. In this meeting, Biden and Netanyahu committed to cooperating towards "normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia," a collaboration that could change the "geopolitics of the Middle East." Earlier, Voice of America reported on September 30 that the U.S. President and Israeli Prime Minister met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on September 29 and emphasized the necessity of strengthening "unbreakable ties" and maintaining "democratic values." Biden and Netanyahu reiterated that the Islamic Republic will not acquire nuclear weapons. Ali Akbar Omidmehr stated that Biden wants to prevent the Islamic Republic from acquiring nuclear weapons even without the JCPOA. Raisi's speech at the UN claimed a "miscalculation" by the West regarding last year's events in Iran. A joint campaign by Alireza Akhundi and the organization "United Against a Nuclear Iran" called to stop dealings with the IRGC. Details of prisoner exchanges and blocked funds were discussed; the U.S. stated that its policy towards Iran has not changed. The White House noted that Iran's funds in Qatar are subject to "more legal restrictions."