Saudi Arabia and weapons of mass destruction

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Map of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia map.png
Map of Saudi Arabia.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has not officially maintained or possessed the weapons of mass destruction (WMD). In 1972, Saudi Arabia signed and ratified the Biological Weapons Convention, followed by the ratification of Chemical Weapons Convention (1996) and Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (1998). [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Over the issue of nuclear energy, Saudi Arabia has made steps towards a nuclear program [4] [5] and according to some observations, the program can be weaponized towards developing nuclear weapons. [6] [7]

In 2018, Mohammad bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, confirmed on interview given to American CBS's 60 Minutes that Saudi Arabia would develop nuclear weapons if Iran successfully detonated one, causing widespread distrust of the Saudi Arabian nuclear program. [8] [9]

Overview

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has officially a signed party of and ratified the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons since 1998. [10] [11] At the nuclear energy governance level, the Saudi government has an agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency. [12] [13]

Nuclear program

The Saudi interests in nuclear issue started in 2010 when it announced to start the program aim to look for generating electricity using the nuclear power and Saudi officials reached out the France, South Korea, Russia, and China, and the United States to help establish the industry. [14]

The Saudi government established the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KA CARE) as a government agency to oversee the program and commissioned the Pöyry PLC, a Finnish engineering consulting firm, to assist in expounding "high-level strategy in the area of nuclear and renewable energy applications" with desalination. [15]

The Saudi Arabian nuclear program received much more publicized controversy when it reached out to Pakistan in an attempt to establish a nuclear physics laboratory, which can be purposed towards understanding the nuclear weapons environment. [6] [14] [16]

Alleged pursuits and statements on nuclear weapons

In 1987, the Saudi Arabian secret procurement of the CSS-2 intermediate-range ballistic missiles from China raised the concerns of proliferation of missiles during the Iran-Iraq War. [17] In 1994, Saudi Arabia was alleged to provide funding of the Iraqi weapons program by the defecting senior diplomat Mohammad al Khilewi– his claims were later proved unsubstantiated by the U.S. investigators. [18] After the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, The Guardian reported that Saudi Arabia renewed its interest in nuclear weapons, while in 2005 The New York Times claimed that U.S. President George W. Bush indicated to British Prime Minister Tony Blair that he was open to a preemptive strikes to prevent Saudi Arabia from acquiring nuclear weapons. [18]

The BBC reported using multiple sources that Saudi Arabia has funded nuclear weapons development in Pakistan, [10] [19] and the Saudi government believes that it can gain nuclear weapons at will. [20] A senior NATO decision maker did mention that he personally viewed intelligence reports indicating that nuclear weapons which have been manufactured in Pakistan by the request of Riyadh, are ready for delivery. [10] Saudi Arabia's foreign minister neither rejected nor confirmed the possibility of purchasing nuclear weapons. [16] Furthermore, Saudi royalty and other high-ranking officials have explicitly mentioned warnings in regards to their intention to obtain nuclear weapons if Iran were to come in possession of such weaponry. [10] [21] [22] [23] On March 15, 2018 Saudi defense minister and heir to the throne Prince Mohammad bin Salman made such a statement on the CBS 60 Minutes programme. [24]

In 2019 the House Committee on Oversight and Reform in the United States reported that President Donald Trump planned to provide nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia in violation of the Atomic Energy Act. [25] The reactors would be built by the company IP3 International, while negotiations were conducted by Jared Kushner and Energy Secretary Rick Perry. [26] The report caused widespread condemnation from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers in both houses of Congress due in part to the recent assassination of Jamal Khashoggi and the conduct of the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen. [27] In the Senate Ed Markey and Marco Rubio introduced a bill, the Saudi Nuclear Proliferation Act, to block the deal. [8] Concerns were also directed about whether the deal would entail access to uranium enrichment technology. [26] In response U.S. Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette claimed that Saudi Arabia would sign a Section 123 agreement restricting how Saudi Arabia could use nuclear technology. [28]

Saudi Arabia has also shortlisted firms in Russia, China, France, and South Korea as sources of nuclear power. [26]

On 17 September 2020, according to a confidential report compiled by the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and the Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology (BRIUG), as seen by The Guardian , Saudi Arabia was identified to have enough uranium ore reserves to begin domestic production of nuclear fuel. Saudi Arabia was found heading as another country in the Arab region, after the United Arab Emirates, to begin its own nuclear energy program. Chinese data revealed that Saudi was capable of producing nearly 90,000 tonnes of uranium. Saudi Arabia was working with Chinese geologists to identify the uranium deposits that were located in Saudi's northwestern region, where the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was planning to build the Neom city. There were concerns, where Saudi was under suspicions of producing nuclear weapons, as it lacked transparency. Saudi Arabia followed the IAEA's Small Quantities Protocol regulations which did not allow direct inspections of Saudi nuclear facilities. [18] [29] [30]

In May 2025, U.S. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a member of the counterterrorism and intelligence subcommittee of the House Homeland Security Committee, stated that "Saudi Arabia has nuclear weapons". She did not offer further clarification. [31]

Missile capability and delivery mechanism

In 1986–87, Saudi Arabia secretly negotiated with China, and purchased Chinese-made CSS-2 intermediate-range ballistic missiles, which are nuclear capable in Chinese service, but reportedly sold to Saudi Arabia with conventional high-explosive warheads. [32] [33] However their low circular error probable accuracy (1–1.5 km (0.62–0.93 mi)) makes them unsuitable for effective military use against military targets when carrying a conventional warhead. [34] The CSS-2 has a range of 4,850 km (3,010 mi) with a payload of either 2,150 kg (4,740 lb) or 2,500 kg (5,500 lb). [35] These missiles were delivered with between 35 to 50 transporter erector launcher trucks. [36] [37] Initially in March 2006, the German magazine, Cicero , incorrectly alleged that Saudi Arabia had received these missiles from Pakistan while publishing the satellite photos that revealed a missile silo, which misidentified and confused with a CSS missiles with Ghauri nuclear warheads in Al-Sulaiyil, south of the capital Riyadh, followed by another missile silo site in al-Watah. [38]

In 2013, the existence of a separate branch of Saudi Arabia's armed forces, the Royal Saudi Strategic Missile Force was officially announced, and these missiles were first placed for public viewing in 2014. [39] [40]

The American political outlet, the Newsweek , quoted an anonymous source in 2014 that Saudi Arabia had acquired CSS-5 intermediate-range ballistic missiles from China in 2007 with "Bush administration's quiet approval on the condition that CIA technical experts could verify they were not designed to carry nuclear warheads". [41] The Center for Strategic and International Studies lists the CSS-5 as being capable of carrying either 250-kiloton or 500-kiloton nuclear or various types of conventional high-explosive warheads. [17] The CSS-5, while it has a comparatively shorter range (2,800 km (1,700 mi) ) and half the payload (1 ton) of the CSS-2, is solid-fueled, thus can be set up and placed on alert status more easily than the liquid-fueled CSS-2, and its accuracy is much greater (circular error probable of 30 meters). [42]

In technical evaluation and examination completed by the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) reportedly concluded that the "modified nosecones" and that nuclear warheads that might be purchased from China could not be fitted. [43]

The conventional missile capability is widely understood in a context of deterrence against the Iranian missile program. [32]

Biological Weapons Convention
BWC Participation.svg
Participation in the Biological Weapons Convention
SignedApril 10, 1972
LocationLondon, Moscow, and Washington, D.C.
EffectiveMarch 26, 1975
ConditionRatification by 22 states
Signatories109
Parties180 as of January 2018
(complete list)

Chemical and biological weapons

In 1972, Saudia Arabia ratified and signed the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), followed by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in 1996. [12]

There are no known biotechnological or chemical infrastructure in the Saudi Arabia nor the Saudi Arabian government ever suspected of possession of such weapons. [7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction state.gov Retrieved January 22, 2018
  2. ↑ Disease as a Weapon: Assessing the international methods of ensuring biological weapons nonproliferation Archived April 2, 2019, at the Wayback Machine portfolio.du.edu Retrieved January 13, 2018
  3. ↑ "Status of the Convention". OPBW. Archived from the original on September 15, 2019. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  4. ↑ KSA takes first step towards nuclear plant tender: sources reuters.com Retrieved January 16, 2018
  5. ↑ Nuclear Power in Saudi Arabia world-nuclear.org Retrieved January 16, 2018
  6. 1 2 "Pakistan, Saudi Arabia in secret nuke pact Islamabad trades weapons technology for oil". globalsecurity.org. January 24, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  7. 1 2 Russell, op. cit, p.72.
  8. 1 2 "U.S. lawmakers press for oversight of any Saudi nuclear deal". Reuters. February 28, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Saudi crown prince: If Iran develops nuclear bomb, so will we". www.cbsnews.com. March 15, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Saudi nuclear weapons 'on order' from Pakistan". bbc.com. January 17, 2018.
  11. ↑ Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons disarmament.un.org Retrieved January 27, 2018
  12. 1 2 "Saudi Arabia". nti.org. January 17, 2018.
  13. ↑ List of Member States News iaea.org Retrieved January 27, 2018
  14. 1 2 "Disclosure of Saudi's secret nuclear program with Pakistan". tasnimnews.com. January 17, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Nuclear Power in Saudi Arabia". world-nuclear.org. February 7, 2018.
  16. 1 2 "The Mystery of Buying Nuclear Weapons from Pakistan by KSA". yjc.ir. January 18, 2018.
  17. 1 2 "DONGFENG-21 (DF-21/CSS-5 MODS 1, 2, 6)". Missile Threat (Web site). The Center for Strategic and International Studies Missile Defense Project. April 13, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  18. 1 2 3 Bahgat, Gawdat. Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in the Middle East. University Press of Florida, 2007.
  19. ↑ Saudi Arabia banks on Pakistan for nukes: BBC report livemint.com January 17, 2018
  20. ↑ "Saudi Arabia orders nuclear weapons to Pakistan". bbc.com. January 17, 2018.
  21. ↑ Pakistan rejects report about Saudi support for N-plan dawn.com Retrieved January 18, 2018
  22. ↑ Iran's Next President and the Third Nuclear Strategy al-monitor.com Retrieved January 18, 2018
  23. ↑ "Saudi Arabia orders nuclear weapons to Pakistan". irna.ir. January 18, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Saudi Arabia pledges to create a nuclear bomb if Iran does". BBC News. March 15, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  25. ↑ Committee on Oversight and Reform. Whistleblowers raise grave concerns with Trump administration's efforts to transfer sensitive nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia: interim staff report. OCLC   1088438840.
  26. 1 2 3 Johnson, Keith (February 22, 2019). "Who's Afraid of Saudi Nukes?". Foreign Policy. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  27. ↑ "U.S. Senate proposal would block Saudi path to atomic weapon in..." Reuters. February 13, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  28. ↑ Reid, David (February 16, 2019). "Brouillette: US won't give Saudi Arabia key to nuclear weapon building". www.cnbc.com. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  29. ↑ Graham-Harrison, Emma; Kirchgaessner, Stephanie; Borger, Julian (September 17, 2020). "Revealed: Saudi Arabia may have enough uranium ore to produce nuclear fuel". The Guardian. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  30. ↑ "Saudi Arabia's Atomic Ambition Is Being Fueled by a UN Watchdog". Bloomberg. September 15, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  31. ↑ Taylor Greene, Marjorie [@RepMTG] (May 6, 2025). ""Saudi Arabia has nuclear weapons and the 19 terrorists from 9/11 were all Saudis. Did we go to war with them? Nope. North Korea has nukes. Little rocket man hasn't blown us all up yet but we were told he was going to. Pakistan and China have nukes as well. And big bad Russia has nuclear weapons."" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  32. 1 2 Urban, Mark (November 6, 2013). "Saudi nuclear weapons 'on order' from Pakistan". BBC News. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  33. ↑ Lewis, Jeffrey (January 30, 2014). "Why Did Saudi Arabia Buy Chinese Missiles?". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  34. ↑ "DF-3A / CSS-2". fas.org. Archived from the original on December 4, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
  35. ↑ Cordesman, op. cit, p.10
  36. ↑ DF-3A / CSS-2 fas.org Retrieved February 8, 2018
  37. ↑ "CSS-2A". www.missilethreat.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2008.
  38. ↑ "Saudia [sic] Arabia working on secret nuclear program with Pakistan help– report", Forbes, from AFX News (March 28 2006).
  39. ↑ "Arabic: تخريج عدد من دورات مركز ومدرسة قوة الصورايخ الاستراتيجية Student's Graduation at the Strategic Missile Force Center and Academy". Saudid.com. May 10, 2013. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  40. ↑ "Saudi Arabia unveils part of strategic missile force — a deterrent move against Iran?". Defense Update. May 2, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  41. ↑ Stein, Jeff (January 29, 2014). "Exclusive: CIA Helped Saudis in Secret Chinese Missile Deal". Newsweek (Web site). NEWSWEEK LLC. Archived from the original on September 17, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  42. ↑ "Artillery: Saudi Ballistic Missiles Secretly Upgraded". StrategyWorld.com. February 10, 2014. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  43. ↑ Fitzpatrick, Mark (August 27, 2021). "Saudi Arabia's ballistic-missile programme: an overview". International Institute for Strategic Studies . Retrieved June 2, 2024.
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