Saudi Prince Warns of Nuclear Arms Race if Agreement with Iran is Reached

A senior Saudi prince warned that any conditions granted to Iran under a nuclear agreement would lead Saudi Arabia and other countries to demand the same conditions. Turki al-Faisal, in an interview with the BBC broadcast on Monday, March 15, stated regarding the nuclear negotiations between global powers and Iran: "If Iran has the ability to enrich uranium at any level, it will not only be Saudi Arabia that demands the same capability." Al-Faisal emphasized: "I have always said that whatever comes out of these negotiations, we will ask for the same." Turki al-Faisal was previously the head of Saudi intelligence and the ambassador to the United States. The Wall Street Journal, the most widely read newspaper in the U.S., reported last week that Saudi Arabia and South Korea are considering a $2 billion nuclear cooperation agreement. Under this agreement, South Korea will build two nuclear reactors for Saudi Arabia over the next 20 years. On the other hand, some media and international analysts have warned that Saudi Arabia may secretly purchase nuclear bombs from Pakistan, with which it has a military agreement, in response to the recognition of Iran's right to enrich uranium. Iran, the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany, China, and Russia are in the final days of intensive negotiations that could lead to a final agreement on Iran's nuclear program. Reports indicate that Iran's right to enrich a certain amount of uranium may be part of this final agreement, despite several previous United Nations Security Council resolutions emphasizing the cessation of uranium enrichment in Iran. Israel and the majority of the U.S. Congress are also strong opponents of this potential agreement. Saudi Arabia, with a Sunni majority, and the Islamic Republic of Iran, with a Shia majority, have been engaged in a fierce competition for influence in the region in recent years. In another part of the interview with the BBC, al-Faisal added that "Iran is expanding its occupation of Iraq." In recent months, Shia militias close to Iran have expanded their influence in parts of Iraq and Yemen, two neighboring countries of Saudi Arabia.