Saudi Arabia and weapons of mass destruction

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The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has not officially maintained or possessed the weapons of mass destruction (WMD). In 1972, Saudi Arabia signed and ratified the Biological Weapons Convention, followed by the ratification of Chemical Weapons Convention (1996) and Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (1998).^[1][2][3]

Over the issue of nuclear energy, Saudi Arabia has made steps towards a nuclear program^[4][5] and according to some observations, the program can be weaponized towards developing nuclear weapons.^[6][7]

In 2018, Mohammad bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, confirmed on 60 Minutes that Saudi Arabia would develop nuclear weapons if Iran successfully detonated one, causing widespread distrust of the Saudi Arabian nuclear program.^[8][9]

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has officially a signed party of and ratified the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons since 1998.^[10][11] At the nuclear energy governance level, the Saudi government has an agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency.^[12][13]

The Saudi interests in nuclear issue started in 2010 when it announced to start the program aim to look for generating electricity using the nuclear power and Saudi officials reached out the France, South Korea, Russia, and China, and the United States to help establish the industry.^[14]

The Saudi government established the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KA CARE) as a government agency to oversee the program and commissioned the Pöyry PLC, a Finnish engineering consulting firm, to assist in expounding "high-level strategy in the area of nuclear and renewable energy applications" with desalination.^[15]

The Saudi nuclear program received much controversy when it reached out to Pakistan in an attempt to establish a nuclear physics laboratory, which can be purposed towards understanding the nuclear weapons environment.^[6][14][16]

In 1988, the international community became suspicious of Saudi nuclear proliferation after it purchased 36 CSS-2 intermediate-range ballistic missiles from China during the Iran-Iraq War. After defecting to the United States in 1994, Saudi diplomat Mohammad al Khilewi claimed that Saudi Arabia started a nuclear weapons program chaired by Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz following the Yom Kippur War and that it also financially and technologically assisted the Iraqi nuclear weapons program. After the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq The Guardian reported that Saudi Arabia renewed its interest in nuclear weapons, while in 2005 The New York Times claimed that U.S. President George W. Bush indicated to British Prime Minister Tony Blair that he was open to a preemptive invasion to prevent Saudi Arabia from acquiring nuclear weapons.^[17]

The BBC reported using multiple sources that Saudi Arabia has funded nuclear weapons development in Pakistan,^[10][18] and the Saudi government believes that it can gain nuclear weapons at will.^[19] A senior NATO decision maker did mention that he personally viewed intelligence reports indicating that nuclear weapons which have been manufactured in Pakistan by the request of Riyadh, are ready for delivery.^[10] Saudi Arabia's foreign minister neither rejected nor confirmed the possibility of purchasing nuclear weapons.^[16] Furthermore, Saudi royalty and other high-ranking officials have explicitly mentioned warnings in regards to their intention to obtain nuclear weapons if Iran were to come in possession of such weaponry.^{[10][20][21][22]} On March 15, 2018 Saudi defense minister and heir to the throne Prince Mohammad bin Salman made such a statement on the CBS 60 Minutes programme.^[23]

In 2019 the House Committee on Oversight and Reform in the United States reported that President Donald Trump planned to provide nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia in violation of the Atomic Energy Act.^[24] The reactors would be built by the company IP3 International, while negotiations were conducted by Jared Kushner and Energy Secretary Rick Perry.^[25] The report caused widespread condemnation from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers in both houses of Congress due in part to the recent assassination of Jamal Khashoggi and the conduct of the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen.^[26] In the Senate Ed Markey and Marco Rubio introduced a bill, the Saudi Nuclear Proliferation Act, to block the deal.^[8] Concerns were also directed about whether the deal would entail access to uranium enrichment technology.^[25] In response U.S. Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette claimed that Saudi Arabia would sign a Section 123 agreement restricting how Saudi Arabia could use nuclear technology.^[27]

Saudi Arabia has also shortlisted firms in Russia, China, France, and South Korea as sources of nuclear power.^[25]

On 17 September 2020, according to a confidential report compiled by the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and the Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology (BRIUG), as seen by The Guardian, Saudi Arabia was identified to have enough uranium ore reserves to begin domestic production of nuclear fuel. Saudi Arabia was found heading as another country in the Arab region, after the United Arab Emirates, to begin its own nuclear energy program. Chinese data revealed that Saudi was capable of producing nearly 90,000 tonnes of uranium. Saudi Arabia was working with Chinese geologists to identify the uranium deposits that were located in Saudi's northwestern region, where the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was planning to build the Neom city. There were concerns, where Saudi was under suspicions of producing nuclear weapons, as it lacked transparency. Saudi Arabia followed the IAEA's Small Quantities Protocol regulations which did not allow direct inspections of Saudi nuclear facilities.^[17][28][29]

In May 2025, U.S. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a member of the counterterrorism and intelligence subcommittee of the House Homeland Security Committee, stated that "Saudi Arabia has nuclear weapons". She did not offer further clarification.^[30]

According to the BBC, Saudi Arabian attempts to acquire ballistic missiles capable of fielding a nuclear warhead go back several decades.^[31] The Royal Saudi Strategic Missile Force possesses DF-3A (NATO: CSS-2) as a Chinese missile which is used in nuclear weapons delivery.^[32] It is regarded as a Chinese liquid-fueled, single-stage, nuclear medium-range ballistic missile. Saudi Arabia bought several dozen (between 36 and 60) of this kind of missile from China in 1987.^[33] Riyadh displayed them in a parade in 2014, the first public viewing of the weapons.^[34]

Biological Weapons Convention

Participation in the Biological Weapons Convention   Signed and ratified   Acceded or succeeded   Unrecognized state, abiding by treaty   Only signed   Non-signatory
Signed	April 10, 1972
Location	London, Moscow, and Washington, D.C.
Effective	March 26, 1975
Condition	Ratification by 22 states
Signatories	109
Parties	180 as of January 2018 (complete list)

Officially, Saudi Arabia is regarded as a party to both the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), and also the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).^[12]

• Nuclear energy in Saudi Arabia
• Nuclear program of Saudi Arabia

• Nuclear Power in Saudi Arabia, World Nuclear Association
• DF-3A / CSS-2, China sold several dozen outmoded DF-3 missiles to Saudi Arabia
• Campaigners warns of “toxic” UK arms deals with Saudi Arabia
• Saada's Governor: Saudi Arabia is Experimenting Toxic Weapons in Yemen's Saada