Edition

Saudi Uranium Enrichment Floated Under Possible Israel Deal

IN THIS ISSUE: Saudi Uranium Enrichment Floated Under Possible Israel Deal, Saudi Crown Prince on Iran Acquiring Nuclear Weapons: ‘If They Get One, we Have to Get One’. Iran Demands US Show Goodwill After Quitting Nuclear Deal, South Korea Says it ‘Will Not Stand Idly By’ if North Korea Receives Russian Help on Nuclear Weapons, Marshall Islands Says US Must Address Nuclear Legacy for Deal on Futur

Published on September 21, 2023

Saudi Uranium Enrichment Floated Under Possible Israel Deal

Dion Nissenbaum and Dov Lieber | The Wall Street Journal

Israeli officials are quietly working with the Biden administration on a polarizing proposal to set up a U.S.-run uranium-enrichment operation in Saudi Arabia as part of a complex three-way deal to establish official diplomatic relations between the two Middle Eastern countries, according to U.S. and Israeli officials. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed top Israeli nuclear and security specialists to cooperate with U.S. negotiators as they try to reach a compromise that could allow Saudi Arabia to become the second country in the Middle East, after Iran, to openly enrich uranium, the officials said.


Saudi Crown Prince on Iran Acquiring Nuclear Weapons: ‘If They Get One, we Have to Get One’

SARAH FORTINSKY | THE HILL

Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Wednesday that if Iran acquired a nuclear weapon, his country would seek to do the same. “If they get one, we have to get one,” the crown prince said in an interview with Fox News’s Bret Baier, adding that it would be necessary “for security reasons, and for balancing power in the Middle East, but we don’t want to see that.”

Iran Demands US Show Goodwill After Quitting Nuclear Deal

Parisa Hafezi | Reuters

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Tuesday that the United States should prove its "goodwill and determination" to revive Tehran's 2015 nuclear pact as months of indirect talks between the long-time foes have led nowhere. "By exiting the JCPOA, the United States violated the agreement and the principle of good faith. America should demonstrate its goodwill and determination," Raisi said in a speech at the U.N. General Assembly, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action between Tehran and six world powers.

South Korea Says it ‘Will Not Stand Idly By’ if North Korea Receives Russian Help on Nuclear Weapons

Heather Law | CNN

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol warned on Wednesday that his country and its allies “will not stand idly by” if North Korea receives Russian help to boost its weapons of mass destruction – just days after the leaders of the two nuclear-armed nations held a closely watched summit…Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Yoon declared: “While military strength may vary among countries, by uniting in unwavering solidarity and steadfastly adhering to our principles, we can deter any unlawful provocation.”

Marshall Islands Says US Must Address Nuclear Legacy for Deal on Future Ties

Reuters

The president of the Marshall Islands said on Wednesday his Pacific island nation was "cautiously optimistic" it could soon finalize a deal on future ties with the United States, but repeated a call for Washington to address the legacy of massive nuclear testing in the 1940s and 50s…The U.S. agreed renewed COFA deals with Micronesia and Palau this year, but is still negotiating with the Marshall Islands at a time when China is making significant inroads into the Pacific, a region the U.S. has long considered its back yard.

Trump Declared That 'Guam isn't America' When he Was Warned that the US Territory Could be Vulnerable to a North Korean Nuclear Strike, Report Says

Bryan Metzger | Yahoo News

According to a new report in The Atlantic, Trump was directly warned by then-White House Chief of Staff John Kelly about the unique threat that the island would face if North Korea were to start firing off nuclear weapons. But Trump, according to the report, wasn't especially concerned. "Guam isn't America," he reportedly told Kelly.

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.