Saudi Arabia vows to develop nuclear bomb, if Iran does
Saudi Arabia's defense chief, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said that the kingdom will develop nuclear weapons if arch-rival Iran does it. The heir to the throne made this statement while talking about the nuclear arms race in the Middle-East on a western television show, which is the first by a Saudi leader since 2005. Here's more on what he said.
Prince Salman compared Iran's supreme leader with Hitler
Earlier, in November'17, Prince Salman had called Iran's leader "the new Hitler of the Middle East." Now, he explained his analogy. He claimed that both Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and has dangerous expansionist goals, much like Germany's infamous leader Adolf Hitler. He said, "Khamenei wants to create his own project in the Middle East like Hitler who wanted to expand at the time."
Why are Saudi Arabia and Iran relations tense?
Saudi Arabia and Iran have deep resentment against each other. Religious difference is one major factor: Iran has majority Shiites, while Saudi is staunchly Sunni. The two are also strong economic competitors as both are oil exporters. They are also on opposing sides in the Syrian civil war and Yemeni civil war. Since 2016, diplomatic ties between the two have also been terminated.
Meanwhile, nuclear energy is part of Prince Salman's modernization plan
Separately, the Kingdom plans to develop nuclear energy capability as part of a reform plan led by Prince Mohammed to reduce the economy's dependence on oil. Earlier this week, he announced his plan to develop a nuclear energy program in line with international law and for peaceful purposes. This was part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 plan for modernization and economic development.
