The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) Australia is alarmed by the uranium enrichment deal announced today between the US and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia claims their enrichment capabilities will be for civilian purposes, but the deal does not include rigorous oversight mechanisms and it raises concerns that they will use this technology to create nuclear weapons, as they have previously stated. 

In a highly unstable region, this is concerning; Iran could see this as as a reason to pursue its own nuclear weapons program. Presently, Israel is the only country in the Middle East that has nuclear weapons.

“It is reckless and irresponsible to pretend this is not going to enable Saudi Arabia to develop nuclear weapons,” said ICAN’s Executive Director Melissa Parke – who is attending the ALP’s national conference in Adelaide this week. “The US claim they want to remove the nuclear threat from Iran; this move could do the opposite.”

“The world is at a turning point; 100 countries have now signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.”

“The ALP committed to signing the TPNW when in government but are yet to do so. Australia’s signature would send a clear message: there is no safe place for nuclear weapons and facilitating their expansion through unsafe agreements like this will not advance efforts to bring stability to the Middle East,” said Ms. Parke.