Israeli’s defense opposes Saudi Arabia’s plans to enrich uranium

Saudi Arabia’s plans to domestically enrich uranium are coming under attack from the Israeli defense establishment, as critics caution the destabilization of the Middle East.

The Israeli defense establishment is becoming increasingly opposed to Saudi Arabia's plans to domestically enrich uranium. Critics caution that Riyadh's nuclear ambitions may trigger a Middle East arms race that would be destabilizing.

This week, Tamir Pardo, a former head of the Mossad, publicly expressed his worries, saying that Saudi’s enrichment capabilities will alter the balance of power in the area. Due in great part to its arsenal of nuclear weapons and cutting-edge military equipment supplied by the US, Israel today retains a dominant qualitative military advantage over other states.

Israeli authorities are worried that if Saudi Arabia is allowed to acquire nuclear weapons within the context of a three-way agreement between Riyadh, Washington, and Tel Aviv, it will lose its competitive edge in the area. Saudi Arabia will receive security guarantees and authorization to enrich uranium as part of the planned agreement in exchange for normalizing relations with Israel.

Despite opposing Riyadh's aim, Israel has no power to stop the Gulf state from developing nuclear weapons. The Biden administration's desire to score a foreign policy victory, even if it means caving in to Mohammed Bin Salman's demands, ultimately determines the outcome.

According to Israeli analysts, the UAE's civilian reactors and direct US control of enrichment are the only options that make sense from the standpoint of the apartheid state. The crown prince, though, has insisted on having domestic enrichment capabilities similar to Iran's.

The Middle East could experience a nuclear domino effect if the Saudis enrich uranium at home.