Gulf states will act to bolster security if Iran acquires nuclear weapons
Iran’s neighbors in the Gulf will move to bolster their security if Iran acquires nuclear weapons, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said on Sunday.
U.S.-Iranian indirect talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal between world powers and Iran – from which Washington withdrew in 2018 – stalled in September. The head of the UN’s Atomic Energy Agency expressed concern over Tehran’s recent announcement that it is enhancing its uranium enrichment capacity.
“If Iran gets a nuclear weapon ready to act, it will be difficult to predict what will happen,” the Saudi minister said on the sidelines of the Global Policy Conference in Abu Dhabi when asked about such a scenario… You can expect that the countries of the region will certainly consider how to ensure their security.”
The nuclear talks foundered amid Western powers’ accusations that Iran’s demands are illogical, and the focus shifted to the Russo-Ukrainian war, as well as Iran’s domestic turmoil over the death of Kurdish teenager Mahsa Amini after she was detained by morality police.
Although Riyadh remains “skeptical” about the Iran nuclear deal, Prince Faisal said it supports efforts to revive it “on the condition that it is a starting point, not the end point” of a stronger deal with Tehran.
The Sunni Arab Gulf states are pushing for a stronger deal that addresses their concerns about Iran’s Shia missiles and drone program and network of proxies in the region.
“Unfortunately, the indications at the moment are not very positive,” Prince Faisal said. “We hear from the Iranians that they have no interest in a nuclear weapons program. We need more guarantees on this,” he said.
“Iran maintains that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only, but it continues to increase the pace of enrichment at a high purity rate close to the level needed to build a nuclear bomb.”
A senior UAE official said Saturday that there is an opportunity to reconsider the concept of the “whole” nuclear deal in light of the current focus on Tehran’s weapons and western countries’ accusations against Russia for using Iranian drones to attack targets in Ukraine. Iran and Russia deny the charges.
