This news is classified in: Traditional Energy Nuclear
Sep 9, 2019
Topline: Saudi Arabia new energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman has announced the kingdom plans to enrich uranium for its future civilian nuclear power program. The move could mark the start of a race for nuclear weapons in the Gulf as attempts by the United States and European Union to strike a new deal with Iran on its nuclear plan falter.
Tangent: Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman is the first member of Saudi’s ruling royal family to occupy the key job as the kingdom’s energy minister. The prince has a long history of working as a delegate to the OPEC cartel but only took on a position as minister on Sunday. Boosting oil prices to fill holes in the Saudi’s budget and pushing through the partial privatization of state oil company Aramco will be key tasks for the half-brother of Saudi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Key background: Saudi Arabia had already announced its plan to build two nuclear power reactors in a move that has alarmed arms controls activists. The kingdom has stressed the program is peaceful, but it follows decades of tension with its regional rival Iran, which has been accused of using its own civilian nuclear program to develop fuel for nuclear weapons.
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Download free sample pagesCrown Prince Mohammad bin Salman has been a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump’s hard-line approach on Tehran, and in 2018 announced that the kingdom would “acquire” a nuclear weapon if Iran reached that milestone.