Thread by @StrickerNonpro

Yesterday, @WSJ reported that Saudi Arabia is quietly constructing a uranium ore concentration plant with China's assistance. @TheGoodISIS has located a candidate site.

A thread on the Saudis' nuclear activities and issues ahead: 1/

wsj.com/articles/saudi…

https://twitter.com/TheGoodISIS/status/1291053165773828096

The Saudis are also nearing completion of a small research reactor built with the help of Argentina: 2/

bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

The Saudis have not yet updated an old version of their IAEA small quantities protocol or moved to implement a comprehensive safeguards agreement.

In February, IAEA DG Grossi stated that “Saudi Arabia is aware of what their obligations are" with regard to concluding a CSA. 3/

With the impending introduction of nuclear material and no CSA or Additional Protocol, and the Saudis making secret efforts to develop more of the front end of the fuel cycle, one has to ask what its intentions are. 4/

Recall Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's statement in March 2018: "If Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we would follow suit as soon as possible." 5/

bbc.com/news/world-mid….

Will we next hear that China is assisting the Saudis with enrichment technology? With China's recent willingness to more openly eschew international norms and laws, one could see that happening. 6/

belfercenter.org/sites/default/…

The JCPOA built-in international blessing of Iran's expanded enrichment starting in 2023 (permitted to start redeploying advanced centrifuges). And the Saudis have been preparing their nuclear infrastructure to match for some time. 7/

This 2017 primer with @TheGoodISIS is still informative today:

isis-online.org/uploads/isis-r… 8/

The U.S. needs to start talking NOW to the Saudis about how to address Iran security concerns without enrichment.

The Saudis need to improve transparency of their nuclear program immediately, not go down road of media & experts identifying secret nuclear sites in the desert. 9/