CNN's Panel on Antisemitism Was a Total Trainwreck
Reporter Gave a Laughable Reason for Why We Can't Trust Polls Now
I'm Not So Sure Bill Clinton Is the Person to Lead Point on...
CBS News' Margaret Brennan Got Wrecked By Scott Bessent and Marty Makary Over...
Watch Scott Jennings Obliterate a Reporter Over Her 'Both Sides' Nonsense on Political...
The Democrats Are the Party of Antisemitic Terrorism
If Democrats Had the Truth on Their Side They Wouldn’t Have to Lie...
Jewish Americans Can No Longer Afford to Be Unarmed
Sanctuary States, Sleeper Cells, and a Nation on the Brink
White House Shuts Down One of the 'Most Disgusting Lies' Being Spread About...
Hey You, Get Off My Crowd
Hey You, Get Off of My Crowd
This Transgender Athlete Shared This Flippant Response After Dominating a Women's Race
Republicans Could Make History on Gun Rights
Trump Cracks Down on Arizona’s Illegal Immigrant Tuition Scheme
Tipsheet

Saudi Arabia Has Constructed a Uranium Processing Plant

(Josh Reynolds/AP Images for KAUST)

Saudi Arabia is making good on its intentions to develop nuclear capabilities, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Tuesday. Western officials leaked information to the paper that the Kingdom has constructed a facility for extracting uranium yellowcake near al-Ula in the northwest with the help of two Chinese entities.

Advertisement

Yellowcake derives from uranium ore and is an intermediate state in the process of deriving nuclear fuel, occurring prior to enrichment.

While Saudi Arabia has not publicly acknowledged the site and "categorically" denied its existence to WSJ, the country's ambitions for nuclear power are well documented. On September 9, 2019, Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman claimed Saudi Arabia had plans to enrich uranium and build up to 16 nuclear reactors.

"We are proceeding with it cautiously...We are experimenting with two nuclear reactors,” he said at a conference in Abu Dhabi. 

The United States, China, Russia, South Korea and France competed to cooperate with Saudi in building the first two, but Saudi Arabia has failed to meet the U.S. "gold standard" agreement.

Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 describes the conditions the U.S. requires for nuclear cooperation, including a provision banning uranium enrichment:

"The cooperating party must guarantee that no material transferred, or used in, or produced through the use of transferred material or production or utilization facilities, will be reprocessed or enriched, or with respect to plutonium, uranium-233, highly enriched uranium (HEU), or irradiated nuclear materials, otherwise altered in form or content without the prior approval of the United States."

Advertisement

Saudi Arabia refuses to comply with that provision, stalling U.S.--Saudi negotiations that began in 2012.

It appears China has made significant headway. In 2016, China Nuclear Engineering Corporation (CNEC) agreed to build a high-temperature reactor in the Kingdom. Then, in 2017, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and the Saudi Geological Survey (SGS) signed an accord to proceed with uranium exploration.

"The reason we do nuclear technology development deals with countries is so that they will commit to the gold standard and commit to a working relationship with the United States," said U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy. "The Saudis are trying to have it both ways, and we can't allow them to get away with that."

Saudi Arabian officials insist that the nuclear program is solely for energy purposes, and it has no plans to develop weapons-grade uranium. The kingdom raised suspicions earlier this year when satellite photos documented the construction of a nuclear reactor without oversight from the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Although Saudi Arabia has historically relied on oil for both wealth generation and energy, its Vision 2030 agenda recognizes the need to"diversify" its economy. "We have begun expanding our investments into additional sectors," the agenda says.

Advertisement

But Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in a 60 Minutes interview, “Saudi Arabia does not want to acquire any nuclear bomb, but without a doubt, if Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible.”

Foundation for Defense of Democracies senior adviser on science and nonproliferation Ollie Heinonen told the WSJ that "the facility's construction suggested the Saudis were trying to keep their options open."

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Recommended

Trending on Townhall Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement