Report: Saudis seek nuclear weapons

Report: Saudis seek nuclear weapons

www.presstv.ir

"Reports have circulated for years that the Saudis have pursued a secret nuclear program with help from Pakistan, though the Saudis deny this," said a Wall Street Journal article titled 'A Middle East Arms Race'.

For years now, media outlets have alleged that Saudi officials are interested in nuclear proliferation, citing comments by former Saudi diplomat Mohammed Khilewi -- who defected to the US in 1994.

Khilewi reportedly handed over documents to US officials, which revealed that the Saudi government was interested in nuclear proliferation.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Ah, the Saudis, the most backwards absolutist Kingdom on earth. Yet, they are part of the bipartisanly agreed axis of Good. To any Bush, Clinton or Obama supporter out there ? Why aren't your candidates tackling this problem at all ? "bomb Iran" and "support Israel" is all that comes out of the foaming mouth of your favourite war party candidate.

www.presstv.ir
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 22-12-2008 by ergoli]

It's possible. Given their incredible wealth and ability to prop up BAE and spark a (soon abandoned) arms dealing inquiry, it's even likely. There are often rumors of missing US and Soviet warheads from the Cold War. I wonder how likely it would be for the Saudis to be ideally placed, financially and politically, to have purchased one or more?

I'm not a particularly big reader of conspiracies, but this idea seems pretty reasonable. Some are in favor of nuclear proliferation because, in theory, it would mean nobody ever hitting the button. MAD is not a good option! I'm more doubtful. Saudi is a stable country, but not many of the neighbors are...

In few years US will have plenty of targets all around the world...

TOP 5 in Christmas 2008
"Who should US bomb next?"
(Previous standings in time of Independence day 2008)

1. Pakistan (3)
2. Iran (1)
3. Syria (2)
4. North Korea (4)
5. Saudi Arabia (-)

"Welcome to TOP 5, Saudi Arabia!"

It is my understanding that the Saudis funded the Pakistan bomb program with the intent of obtaining nukes from them later on.

You do know they bought them from China don`t you?

they paid china around $4 billion in 1988 for 12 launchers and 60 CSS-2 (DF-3A)IRBM missiles , the CEP of the missiles is a wide 2 km at 2,800 km range - very poor for conventional warheads ,but adequate for the standard load (in chinese service) of a 2MT thermonuclear (or 300kt atomic) warhead.

reply to post by JanusFIN


i wouldnt even Put saudi on top 10 let alone
5, main reason alone it would cause a larger conflict.
Saudi goverment may be backwards and bunch of greedy ass p**** (fill in the Gaps) but as the country which has the Kabla (Medina)

would be world war 4

maybe world war 3

have we had a ww3 yet?.



anyhow isnt the US offering to build egypt and so on nuclear reactors?

reply to post by Harlequin

Purchasing missile technology from China is a far cry from purchasing nuclear war heads for the missiles. The Chinese are not about to arm their Muslim neighbors with nukes, that is just crazy talk.

reply to post by Harlequin


Strangely enough, I've been doing a bit of reading up on Saudi weapons programmes recently. It's been long suspected that they've been considering a nuclear weapons programme for some time, and probably have some contingencies ready to acquire them (especially if Iran announces that it has developed nuclear weapons).

The purchase from China was for missiles only, I believe, equipped with conventional warheads. They're outdated missiles, but probably enough to deter any potential attack on Saudi Arabia from its neighbours.

As for bombing Saudi Arabia, that's simply not going to happen. The West needs Saudi Arabia's oil far too much; indeed, that's part of the reason why the Saudi regime hasn't been toppled... industrialised countries in the West (and others such as China) simply cannot afford to have a destabilised Saudi Arabia, because the reliance on Saudi oil is so great. What I do find concerning, though, is the possible instability in neighbouring Yemen as its oil and gas revenues dwindle over the next five years... that really could cause serious problems for the Saudis and the wider world, and nuclear weapons won't do a thing to help it.

Bottom line: Saudis want nukes because Iranians want nukes. They dont like each other much.

i agree with sentiment expressed by a lot of posts here that unfortunately the Axis of Evil seems to be ever growing and ever encompassing.

Saudi Arabia hasn't been directly targeted yet because of America's reliance on it's oil and this is resented within the United States. The country is only tolerated and extended a Fake Friendship because of this nation’s reliance on Saudi oil.

Times: The devil we know

Times Archives: Huckabee: US enslaved to Saudi oil

Seeing their war on terror is making them more enemies in the muslim world than there are grains of sand, it is a matter of time before the saudi's are pressured enough to choose a side. whether that takes one month or one hundred years, i don't think america can take the risk of having their oil supply cut in any shape or manner. Hence the eagerness to Bomb, Bomb Iran. Supplies have to be secured somehow as a contingency plan.

Imagine if the saudi's (through whatever pressure - again another debate for another day) in the future give an ultimatum to america and say that they will put a premium when supplying oil to american troops if they continue to expand their 'axis of evil' and invade another muslim country. The repercussions during a depression for the usa budget would be quite significant. The American – Saudi relationship is a parasitic one. They both leach off each other. One needs the oil, the other one wants their money. Both countries play happy families but both are disturbingly aware that the other will put a knife in if it gets a chance – in other words modern political & economic diplomacy.

i personally believe a time will come when post pakistan and iran, syria will be the next main target. And then as mentioned, a matter of time before saudi arabia will be on the hit list. My reasons for this belief??? the propaganda against the saudi's has already started and one can observe it if enough attention is paid.

examples:
* the increasing belief that saudi is the most third world country where people still live in caves (OBL style)
(I am not going to provide links due to a lack of time but one just needs to have a look at some views about Saudi Arabia on ats alone)

* wahabism (aka terrorism) is supported by the saudi royal family ONLY and will continue to do so unless the royals are toppled like saddam.

For example, in July 2005, a Treasury official testified before Congress that Saudi Arabia-based and -funded organizations remain a key source for the promotion of ideologies used by terrorists and violent extremists around the world to justify their agenda. However, according to the 9/11 Commission Report, the Commission found no persuasive evidence that the Saudi government knowingly supported al Qaeda.

american chronicle article

* and the attention to their weapon capabilities (which is slowly on the increase). i wouldn't be surprised if i hear a statement similar to one about pakistan two weeks ago that the saudi's have wmd's stashed away. the nuclear arms things is pretty much that but without the wmd phrase.

WMD panel releases report to congress: 12/2/08

if saudi's are targeted then that's one thing. the fact however is that we have mecca and medina which no arab and no muslim will tolerate an invasion on. So yes we have the perfect scenario for a global war - whether that will be wwIII or wwIV - it won't matter.

Now considering most ats'rs here know my political and religious leaning's, i don't want this to be taken as a anti-american thing. It is in no way anti-american... but what i am going to point out needs to be taken seriously.

Muslim's are taught the same thing as christians i.e. that there will be an anti-christ aka Dajjal. According to islamic tradition, the pre-cursor to the return of Jesus Christ will be a declaration of war on Mecca and Medina (the big black cube) from an army coming from the east of this particular place led by the anti-christ. If we look on the map it is an area encompassing Iran, Iraq, and Syria. One only needs to put two and two together to see where this is going...

my 2 cents worth - but definitely a cause for concern.

your 2 cents plus mine ...
They already have Nuclear Weapons ... they have money ... YES ...
then they have Nuclear weapons ... I even suspect Saddam Hussein had Nuclear Weapons ... the quesiton is what did he do with them..?
he was aware of ISREAL having them so, maybe he sold them to Syria..?