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Saudi Arabia is on track to adopt the UN nuclear watchdog’s full safeguards by the end of the year, replacing its current lighter oversight, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi told Semafor. The move comes as Riyadh builds up its nuclear capabilities to generate power, aiming to exploit its domestic uranium reserves locally and for export.
The kingdom has made the necessary preparations to transition from the Small Quantities Protocol — which reduces inspection requirements for states with limited nuclear programs — to the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, Grossi said at the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain. “I believe that towards the end of this year we will have that in place, which is very important,” he said.
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Saudi Arabia’s nuclear program plans include uranium enrichment, raising eyebrows in Washington where worries abound about a regional nuclear arms race. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Fox News last year that if Iran were to obtain a nuclear weapon, then “we will have to get one.”
While Iran and Saudi Arabia have enjoyed increasingly warmer ties, Grossi announced Tehran is “dramatically” increasing the amount of uranium that has been enriched to up to 60% purity — a level that can quickly be enriched to the weapons grade level of nearly 90%.
The US, UK, France, and Germany proposed a resolution, passed in November by the IAEA, criticizing Iran for poor cooperation. Asked if there’s concern that Saudi Arabia would revive its nuclear weapons warning in response, Grossi declined to speculate: “I think it’s a good question for [the Saudis].”