One likely Saudi Arabian response to the deal its biggest enemy Iran has struck with world powers is to accelerate its own nuclear power plans, creating an atomic infrastructure it could, one day, seek to weaponize. But while it has recently made moves to advance its nuclear program, experts say it is uncertain whether it could realistically build an atomic bomb in secret or withstand the political pressure it would face if such plans were revealed.The conservative kingdom is engaged in a contest for power with the Islamic republic stretching across the region and fears the nuclear deal will free Tehran from international pressure and sanctions, giving it more room to back allies in proxy wars. So far its response has been lukewarm public praise for the deal coupled with private condemnation, a reaction that follows a more muscular approach to Iran evident in its war against allies of Tehran in Yemen and more help for Syrian rebels. However, some Saudis close to the ruling family have also warned that if Iran still manages to weaponize its nuclear program, then the kingdom will have to follow suit despite the cost of becoming a pariah state and rupturing ties with the U.S.Analysts who follow Saudi Arabia are divided as to whether it really does constitute a proliferation risk, given its newly assertive stance towards the U.S. and the life-and-death import it places on the struggle with Iran, or whether it is bluffing.The recent deals Riyadh reached with France, Russia and South Korea go beyond other nuclear cooperation agreements. The scope of these new deals includes feasibility studies for atomic power plants and fuel cycle work. It shows that Saudi Arabia is covertly working on nuclear technology, ostensibly to meet its energy needs. The Middle East scenario presents a different outlook from the Saudi claims. Since the 1979 Iranian revolution, Tehran has never attacked any neighbouring country. Iran’s support to various movements in the region is based on objectivity and not on ethnic or religious grounds. Iran has always supported peaceful solutions to war-hit Iraq, Syria and Yemen. On the other hand, it is the hardliner Saudi government that has waged a war on Yemen and safeguarded the interests of the west in the Middle East. Despite being a Shiite nation, Iran has supported the cause of Hamas, a Sunni Palestinian organisation. The Kingdom’s argument that Iran wants hegemony in the region is not tenable. If Saudi Arabia makes a nuclear bomb on these assumptions, it will put the whole region in turmoil and pose a threat to world peace. The Saudi government must acknowledge that the agreement reached between the US and Iran was not any easy one. If Iran complies with the agreement and does not make a nuclear bomb, there will be no threat to Saudi Arabia or other countries. So far, Iran has never been an aggressive state and Riyadh’s fears about Iran are uncalled for and baseless.
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