Saudi Arabia To ‘Immediately’ Go Nuclear Should Iran Develop Bomb

Saudi Arabia would immediately push to acquire nuclear weapons should Iran carry out a successfully nuclear test, according to a report in The Times.

Quoting an unnamed Saudi source, the newspapers said that Riyadh would launch a “twin-track nuclear weapons programme” should Tehran finally achieve their long-standing ambition of becoming a nuclear-armed power.

Since the Iranian revolution of 1979, Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia has suffered an uneasy relationship with their Shia neighbour, with religious, cultural and ideological divisions stretching back centuries.

Should Iran “go nuclear”, the move would be seen by Riyadh as too great a threat, triggering an arms race in the Middle East.

Speaking to The Times, a senior Saudi source said: “There is no intention currently to pursue a unilateral military nuclear programme but the dynamics will chance immediately if the Iranians their own nuclear capability. Politically, it would be completely unacceptable to have Iran with a nuclear capability and not the Kingdom. ”