New York Times: Trump plans to sell Saudi Arabia a nuclear reactor
US President Donald Trump and Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman shake hands in the State Dining Room before lunch at the White House in Washington, DC, on March 14, 2017. Trump welcomed the prince to the Oval Office, as both countries expect to improve ties that were frequently strained under Barack Obama's administration. Saudi Arabia is likely to welcome Trump's harder line on its arch-rival Iran and there is likely to be less friction over Riyadh's war against Iranian-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen. / AFP PHOTO / NICHOLAS KAMM (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)
The New York Times reported that US President Donald Trump’s administration has a plan to sell Saudi Arabia a nuclear reactor that can be used to produce nuclear weapons.
The newspaper reported in a story by journalist Nicholas Kristof, that Jared Kushner, the chief adviser to the President discussed with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman the nuclear program of the Kingdom and the role of the United States in providing assistance in this area.
Kristof claimed that the US administration plans to sell Saudi Arabia a nuclear reactor that can be used to produce nuclear weapons.
The report said the idea of selling a nuclear reactor to Saudi Arabia was led by a group of officials, including former national security adviser Michael Flynn, and that the plan is to build two nuclear plants initially, and the construction of 40 reactors in the end.
On March 30, 2015, Saudi Arabia’s former ambassador to Washington, Adel Al Jubeir, said in an interview with CNN that Saudi Arabia would “build its own nuclear program” and might build a nuclear bomb to counter Iran’s nuclear program.
Saudi Arabia’s former ambassador to the United Kingdom, Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf Al Saud, said in an interview with Britain’s Guardian newspaper in 2015: “We hope that we have received assurances that Iran will not seek such weapons, but that Not all options are on the table for us”.
He pointed out that Saudi Arabia is ready to develop its nuclear program, if Iran does not stop developing its nuclear bomb.
In addition to Saudi fears about Iran, recent statements by US President Donald Trump also call for Riyadh’s concern.
In October last year, Trump said, “The king will not remain in power for two weeks without the military support of the United States”.
“We’re protecting Saudi Arabia”, Trump told a crowd in Southaven, Mississippi.
We can say that they are rich.
I love King Salman, but I said, ‘We protect you.
You may not stay there for two weeks without us.
You have to pay for your protection’.
Saudi Arabia says it wants self-sufficiency in nuclear fuel production and is not interested in turning nuclear technology into military use.
But the Saudi Crown Prince told CBS last year, that the Kingdom will develop nuclear weapons if Iran does so.
