Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Bin Salman said that the deal presents a positive “step” in negotiations and he hopes Iran uses the money for good purposes to encourage the world to “do.
Answering a question about the West’s unfounded claims about the potential for Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, the crown prince again did not mince words and clearly stated that should Iran ever obtain such a weapon, Saudi Arabia would “have to get one, for security reasons, for balancing power.”
“We are concerned if any country getting a nuclear weapon: That’s a bad, that’s a bad move,” he said. “They don’t need to get nuclear weapons because you cannot use them.”
“Any country use a nuclear weapon that means they are having a war with the rest of the world,” he added. “The world cannot see another Hiroshima. If the world sees 100,000 people dead that means you are in a war with the rest of the world.”
“So to use this effort to reach a nuclear weapon because you cannot use it if you use it, you got to have a big fight with the rest of the world.”
Iran proved the peaceful nature of its nuclear program to the world by signing the JCPOA with six world powers. However, Washington’s exit in May 2018 and its subsequent re-imposition of sanctions against Tehran left the future of the deal in limbo.
Multilateral diplomatic efforts to revive the JCPOA have been stalled since August 2022, with Iran blaming the United States for refusing to remove the sanctions that the nuclear deal had lifted and also failing to guarantee that it will not leave the deal again.
RHM/PR
