Although the Saudi Energy Ministry has denied that the yellowcake uranium harvesting facility is under construction, the Kingdom nonetheless has made it clear that it intends to become proficient in every facet of the nuclear fuel cycle. All of this is unfolding as the House Oversight and Reform Committee looks into investigating the Trump administration's engagement with Saudi Arabia on its plans to build a nuclear reactor. Anxieties were further tweaked last year, when China was discovered to be building a nuclear missile factory in the Saudi desert. The 1987 Missile Technology Control Regime, an informal understanding among 35 countries, bans Saudi Arabia from buying ballistic missiles from the US and others. These days, yellowcake still may have the consistency of cake but is black or brown. Nuclear non-proliferation experts have long warned that without adequate safeguards, IAEA technical cooperation can unwittingly help countries develop weapons capabilities. Gas prices. The Saudi displeasure at the U.S. actions regarding Iran was expressed also in articles and op-eds in its press. More to the point, processing uranium is linear. An institute in Beijing affiliated with the IAEA has been prospecting for uranium in Saudi Arabia. Civil nuclear cooperation is officially a part of China’s BRI, and combating climate change is central to China’s pitch. A few years ago, Jonathan Scherck, a former U.S. intelligence contractor, published a book called Patriot Lost, alleging that China delivered new DF-21 ballistic missiles to Saudi Arabia in 2003-2004. [10], Historically, the security dimension in Beijing-Riyadh relations has been limited. Saudi Arabia's interest in developing its ballistic missile program with the help of China could be a further sign that the Kingdom is pushing forward to obtain nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them. Beijing can provide the necessary expertise, but its previous experience with such facilities has included Iran and Pakistan. This volume assumes the worst: a defensive, aggressive Iran already possesses a nuclear arsenal. A nuclear-weaponized Taiwan, would be a game-changer in that respect. [1], The day after the WSJ appeared, The New York Times reported that US intelligence agencies are “scrutinizing” efforts by Saudi Arabia to augment its ability to produce nuclear fuel, which could then put the Kingdom on a path to developing nuclear weapons. [6], In parallel with civilian nuclear energy cooperation with China, the Kingdom also entered negotiations with the Trump administration aimed at reaching an agreement, which would require congressional approval, to help Saudi Arabia build a civilian nuclear program. Ninety percent of the country’s drinking water is desalinated, which burns approximately 15% of the 9.8 million barrels of oil it produces daily. Copyright © 2021 Printline Media Pvt. China, Pakistan and India had 320, 160 and 150 nuclear . [12], Saudi Arabia’s interest in developing its ballistic missile program with the help of China could be a further sign that the Kingdom is pushing forward to obtain nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them. Saudi Arabia stated years ago that if Iran develops nuclear weapons, it would too. Examines Whether Saudi Nuclear Program Could Lead to Bomb Effort,” The New York Times, August 5, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/05/us/politics/us-examines-saudi-nuclear-program.html. Like. Since Saudi Arabia does not possess the domestic capabilities to develop nuclear weapons, some nonproliferation experts worry that the country would acquire nuclear weapons by procuring them from another country. Flip. According to nuclear weapons experts, potential rocket-engine test stands for solid-fuel rockets bear a strong resemblance to China’s. [3], Moreover, Saudi Arabia is the largest producer of desalinated water in the world. Found inside – Page 255Nevertheless, China clearly has the production capacity to make such sales. Similarly, in 1999 after Pakistan's nuclear tests, Prince Sultan and other Saudi military officials toured Pakistan's nuclear weapons facilities. President . Nuclear power could meet some of this demand. The ultimate historical twist is that when Pakistan was racing toward a nuclear weapon capability in the early 1980s, its uranium conversion plant wasn’t working properly. Justifying Saudi behavior in terms of Iran's assumed continuing determination to have the capability to make nuclear weapons is an explanation, but it does not help U.S. policy. The plant, near the remote town of AlUla, is in the northwest of the kingdom, about midway between the holy city of Medina and Tabuk, the side furthest from Iran. Even if Saudi Arabia has decided to pursue a military nuclear program, it would be years before it could have the ability to produce a single nuclear warhead. Saudi officials have made it clear on more than one occasion that there is another reason for being interested in nuclear energy technology, which was not captured by the royal decree on the Saudi nuclear program: the relationship of that program to nuclear weapons. The U.S. has removed its most advanced missile defense system and Patriot batteries from Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, even as the kingdom faced continued air attacks from Yemen's Houthi rebels, satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press show. Riyadh is also reported to have procured the more advanced DF-21 missile system in 2007. Whether you live in India or overseas, you can do it here. The International Atomic Energy Agency is working with a Chinese linked institute to find and develop uranium for Saudi Arabia even though the UN nuclear watchdog's inspectors are not allowed in . For example, a different path appears to have been taken by Riyadh's close ally, the United Arab Emirates, which has forsworn enrichment and is just starting up the . An additional concern is that Saudi Arabia continues to have an arsenal of Chinese long-range missiles. The U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on U.S. National Security and Military/Commercial Concerns with the People's Republic of China offers access in PDF format to the three volume, unclassified version of its final report. Syria, under investigation since 2007 for allegedly building a secret atomic-weapons reactor, used an IAEA-built lab to produce uranium. [7], The Kingdom’s interest in nuclearization is therefore nothing new. Sustaining journalism of this quality needs smart and thinking people like you to pay for it. Beijing-Riyadh security relations have focused primarily on weapons sales from China to Saudi Arabia, particularly systems that other suppliers (e.g., US and the West) refused to sell to the Kingdom, due to non-proliferation regime restrictions and pressure from Israel. Therefore, until the Iranian nuclear program is permanently terminated, the Saudis will most likely keep the option open to produce their own fuel, thereby providing a pathway to a weapon. The redeployment of the defenses from Prince Sultan Air Base outside of Riyadh came as America's Gulf Arab allies nervously watched the chaotic . The Pentagon estimated last year that China already has more than 200 nuclear warheads and is looking to double that number, the report said. In terms of international protocols, that’s sort of OK — but it suggests a lack of openness inconsistent with peaceful intent. Saudi Arabia has now ticked the first two boxes. [6] “Saudi Arabia signs cooperation deals with China on nuclear energy,” Reuters, August 25, 2017, https://www.reuters.com/article/saudi-china-nuclear/saudi-arabia-signs-cooperation-deals-with-china-on-nuclear-energy-idUSL8N1LB1CE. Found inside – Page 97To support its nuclear weapons capability , Saudi Arabia would likely turn to its security partners in Pakistan and China . The Saudis procured intermediate - range ballistic missiles from the Chinese in the 1980s . With the 2015 nuclear deal unraveling and Iran accelerating its enrichment efforts, the . Patriot Lost, a firsthand account of events that transpired during the presidency of George W. Bush, makes the claim that Saudi Arabia has acquired a heretofore undisclosed nuclear weapons capability from the People's Republic of China. In the end, the existence of a Saudi ballistic missile production facility, the discovered large deposits of uranium, the facility for extracting uranium yellowcake, and the uncertain future of the Iran nuclear deal raises concerns that Riyadh may be pursuing capabilities needed for a covert nuclear weapons program. Crisis stability -- the probability that political tensions and low-level conflict will not erupt into a major war between India and Pakistan -- is less certain in 2013 than at any time since their sequential nuclear weapons tests of 1998. Saudi Arabia has constructed with Chinese help a facility for extracting uranium yellowcake from uranium ore, an advance in the oil-rich kingdom's drive to master nuclear technology, according . Saudi Arabia and China suspected of secretly creating nuclear weapons 8 Αυγούστου 2020 8 Αυγούστου 2020 admin 280 Views China , Saudi Arabia Chinese companies help Saudi Arabia to produce uranium concentrate (the so-called yellow cake), learned BulgarianMilitary.com citing news agency News.ru. Traditionally, the US has served as the Kingdom’s leading defense partner. This book examines the different countries of the Middle East and their nuclear, biological and chemical weapons capabilities. This essay is part of the series “All About China”—a journey into the history and diverse culture of China through essays that shed light on the lasting imprint of China’s past encounters with the Islamic world as well as an exploration of the increasingly vibrant and complex dynamics of contemporary Sino-Middle Eastern relations. [15], Fourth, in recent years we have seen more civil nuclear projects in the Middle East, projects that are not intended for military use and which the international community has views as being legitimate. The nuclear pretensions of so-called rogue states and terrorist organizations are much discussed. But how firm is the resolve of those countries that historically have chosen to forswear nuclear weapons? Third, Saudi acquisition of the capability to make the vital explosive ingredients of nuclear weapons runs a high risk of undermining the nonproliferation regime that the US has led for decades, and may even cause a cascade that includes Turkey, Egypt, and the UEA, turning the Middle East into a nuclear-armed region. It's believed that Israel has at least 80, and as many as 400, nuclear warheads, according to sources. Russia is the second-largest weapons exporter after the United States in the world. A Saudi-Iran rapprochement would further ease pressures on . [9] According to a Defense Intelligence Agency study, there were at least two secure telecommunications links for private leadership contacts between Saudi Arabia and China . In particular, lawmakers have expressed concern about Saudi Arabia's pursuit of nuclear weapons and a lack of oversight on these agreements. According to the classified analysis, Saudi Arabia is working with China to build industrial capacity to produce nuclear fuel that could later be enriched to weapons-grade level. It also said as per its assessment, Russia and the US together possess over 90 percent of the estimated 13,080 global nuclear weapons. . Read more on nationalinterest.org. AFP Aamir QURESHI Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Follow RT on Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan expressed his country's support for international efforts aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, saying that "Tehran has not respected the nuclear agreement with it." In a press conference with his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg in… [5] “China, Saudi Arabia agree to build HTR,” World Nuclear News, January 20, 2016, http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-China-Saudi-Arabia-agree-to-build-HTR-2001164.html. Relations With China 1949-2020,” Council on Foreign Relations (2020), https://www.cfr.org/timeline/us-relations-china. [15] Amos Yadlin, “The Saudis Want a Nuclear Program. Grossi said his agency had offered only limited advice on how to make fuel from uranium, and was “in dialog” with Saudi authorities over granting inspectors access to more people, places and data so they can monitor how uranium potentially produced in the kingdom is used. Since 2003, China Nuclear Engineering Corporation (CNEC) has been working with Tsinghua University on the design, construction, and commercialization of HTR technology. “I’m approaching them, telling them that in 2020 this is no longer adequate,” Grossi said. 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