3 july 2019
A UN expert, who recently concluded a probe into the state-sponsored assassination of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi, has called for sanctions on surveillance technology sales to Riyadh, amid reports that the regime has been using such spyware to keep track of the dissidents living abroad.
Speaking at the Brookings Institution in Washington on Tuesday, Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions, said that such a ban would help to not only hold Riyadh accountable for Khashoggi’s murder, but also to prevent similar extrajudicial killings.
“I do believe there should be a moratorium on the sale of surveillance technology to Saudi Arabia,” she said, adding that the regime has shown it “cannot be trusted” with it.
Khashoggi — a late but vocal critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman— was killed and his body was dismembered by a Saudi hit squad after being lured into the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 2, 2018.
His fate was unknown for several weeks, until Saudi Arabia confirmed under rising international pressure that the journalist had been murdered at the diplomatic mission.
Last month, Callamard presented findings of her six-month investigation into Khashoggi's murder case.
In her 101-page report, she said that there is “sufficient credible evidence” indicating that bin Salman bears responsibility for the murder, and that he should be investigated for the murder.
Reports revealed last year that Saudi Arabia had been using extensive technology tools to harass the dissidents living abroad or spy on them using Israeli software long before it ordered Khashoggi’s assassination.
Elsewhere in her Tuesday’s remarks, the UN expert stressed that Khashoggi’s killing had violated various international norms, including the Vienna Convention on consular relations and the UN charter on the extraterritorial use of force.
She also underlined the need to recognize that a state had carried out the murder.
“We really must insist that this was a state killing, and for it, the state must be held responsible and accountable,” Callamard said, noting that the killers were state agents who used Saudi government means to execute their crime.
“As you know, the killing took place in a consulate; the consul himself used his power to ensure that there were no witnesses on the floor when the killing took place,” she said. “So all of the dimensions of the execution of the crime meet the definition of a state killing.”
The UN rapporteur further complained that Western sanctions on Saudi citizens involved in the crime amount to an endorsement of Riyadh’s claim that the murder was carried out by “rogue” agents.
“So it’s really important to insist on what we do vis-a-vis the state of Saudi Arabia, not some 15, 17 individuals,” she said.
Callamard also criticized the Saudi investigation into the case for failing to meet international standards.
“There is no way I can conclude that the investigation conducted by Saudi Arabia was done effectively, was done in good faith and allowed for international cooperation,” she said.
World powers should reconsider holding the next G20 summit in Saudi Arabia, the UN expert said, noting that the event, scheduled for November 2020 in Riyadh, offered a chance to pressure the regime over the killing.
“Political accountability for Mr. Khashoggi will mean that it doesn’t happen or it’s moved elsewhere, or something is being done to ensure that the political system in the US and in other countries does not become complicit of that international crime,” she said.
Speaking at the Brookings Institution in Washington on Tuesday, Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions, said that such a ban would help to not only hold Riyadh accountable for Khashoggi’s murder, but also to prevent similar extrajudicial killings.
“I do believe there should be a moratorium on the sale of surveillance technology to Saudi Arabia,” she said, adding that the regime has shown it “cannot be trusted” with it.
Khashoggi — a late but vocal critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman— was killed and his body was dismembered by a Saudi hit squad after being lured into the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 2, 2018.
His fate was unknown for several weeks, until Saudi Arabia confirmed under rising international pressure that the journalist had been murdered at the diplomatic mission.
Last month, Callamard presented findings of her six-month investigation into Khashoggi's murder case.
In her 101-page report, she said that there is “sufficient credible evidence” indicating that bin Salman bears responsibility for the murder, and that he should be investigated for the murder.
Reports revealed last year that Saudi Arabia had been using extensive technology tools to harass the dissidents living abroad or spy on them using Israeli software long before it ordered Khashoggi’s assassination.
Elsewhere in her Tuesday’s remarks, the UN expert stressed that Khashoggi’s killing had violated various international norms, including the Vienna Convention on consular relations and the UN charter on the extraterritorial use of force.
She also underlined the need to recognize that a state had carried out the murder.
“We really must insist that this was a state killing, and for it, the state must be held responsible and accountable,” Callamard said, noting that the killers were state agents who used Saudi government means to execute their crime.
“As you know, the killing took place in a consulate; the consul himself used his power to ensure that there were no witnesses on the floor when the killing took place,” she said. “So all of the dimensions of the execution of the crime meet the definition of a state killing.”
The UN rapporteur further complained that Western sanctions on Saudi citizens involved in the crime amount to an endorsement of Riyadh’s claim that the murder was carried out by “rogue” agents.
“So it’s really important to insist on what we do vis-a-vis the state of Saudi Arabia, not some 15, 17 individuals,” she said.
Callamard also criticized the Saudi investigation into the case for failing to meet international standards.
“There is no way I can conclude that the investigation conducted by Saudi Arabia was done effectively, was done in good faith and allowed for international cooperation,” she said.
World powers should reconsider holding the next G20 summit in Saudi Arabia, the UN expert said, noting that the event, scheduled for November 2020 in Riyadh, offered a chance to pressure the regime over the killing.
“Political accountability for Mr. Khashoggi will mean that it doesn’t happen or it’s moved elsewhere, or something is being done to ensure that the political system in the US and in other countries does not become complicit of that international crime,” she said.
30 june 2019
US President Donald Trump has praised Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for doing what he calls “a spectacular job,” turning a blind eye to a new report that holds him liable for the killing of prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
In his opening remarks before a meeting with bin Salman on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, on Saturday, Trump called the Saudi crown prince "a friend” who had worked to open up the kingdom with reforms.
“It's an honor to be with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, a friend of mine, a man who has really done things in the last five years in terms of opening up Saudi Arabia,” the US president said.
“I want to just thank you on behalf of a lot of people, and I want to congratulate you. You've done, really, a spectacular job,” he added.
Meanwhile, Trump did not raise the case of Khashoggi, a late but vocal critic of bin Salman, who was hacked to death and his body was dismembered by a Saudi hit squad after being lured into the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 2, 2018.
Last week, a UN report found that there is "sufficient credible evidence" bin Salman bears responsibility for the murder and he should be investigated for it.
The 101-page report, compiled by Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, said Khashoggi’s killing was the result of “elaborate planning involving extensive coordination and significant human and financial resources. It was overseen, planned and endorsed by high-level officials. It was premeditated.”
The CIA had already determined that the Saudi crown prince had ordered Khashoggi’s murder.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Trump appreciated Saudi Arabia’s purchase of American weapons in defiance of international outcry over the Riyadh regime’s use of US arms in the bloody war on Yemen.
"As you know, Saudi Arabia is a big purchaser of American products and especially of America military equipment," he said. "We make the best in the world by far. And we appreciate that they do. They create at least a million jobs by the purchases made by Saudi Arabia, so we're very happy to be with you.”
Trump further claimed that Saudi Arabia had “stopped” sponsoring terror.
“For a long time there were questions as to whether or not Saudi Arabia and other countries were sponsoring terror,” Trump said. “You have absolutely stopped and I really appreciate that and the world really appreciates it.”
This is while the Riyadh regime is widely believed to be a key supporter of Takfiri terrorist groups wreaking havoc in the region.
Takfirism is largely influenced by Wahhabism, the radical ideology dominating Saudi Arabia and freely preached by Saudi clerics.
In his opening remarks before a meeting with bin Salman on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, on Saturday, Trump called the Saudi crown prince "a friend” who had worked to open up the kingdom with reforms.
“It's an honor to be with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, a friend of mine, a man who has really done things in the last five years in terms of opening up Saudi Arabia,” the US president said.
“I want to just thank you on behalf of a lot of people, and I want to congratulate you. You've done, really, a spectacular job,” he added.
Meanwhile, Trump did not raise the case of Khashoggi, a late but vocal critic of bin Salman, who was hacked to death and his body was dismembered by a Saudi hit squad after being lured into the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 2, 2018.
Last week, a UN report found that there is "sufficient credible evidence" bin Salman bears responsibility for the murder and he should be investigated for it.
The 101-page report, compiled by Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, said Khashoggi’s killing was the result of “elaborate planning involving extensive coordination and significant human and financial resources. It was overseen, planned and endorsed by high-level officials. It was premeditated.”
The CIA had already determined that the Saudi crown prince had ordered Khashoggi’s murder.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Trump appreciated Saudi Arabia’s purchase of American weapons in defiance of international outcry over the Riyadh regime’s use of US arms in the bloody war on Yemen.
"As you know, Saudi Arabia is a big purchaser of American products and especially of America military equipment," he said. "We make the best in the world by far. And we appreciate that they do. They create at least a million jobs by the purchases made by Saudi Arabia, so we're very happy to be with you.”
Trump further claimed that Saudi Arabia had “stopped” sponsoring terror.
“For a long time there were questions as to whether or not Saudi Arabia and other countries were sponsoring terror,” Trump said. “You have absolutely stopped and I really appreciate that and the world really appreciates it.”
This is while the Riyadh regime is widely believed to be a key supporter of Takfiri terrorist groups wreaking havoc in the region.
Takfirism is largely influenced by Wahhabism, the radical ideology dominating Saudi Arabia and freely preached by Saudi clerics.
29 june 2019
The Hamas Movement has strongly denounced irresponsible remarks made recently by Bahraini foreign minister Khaled Al Khalifa in support of having ties with the Israeli occupation state.
“Such remarks and ideas are strange to the values, principles and nobility of the Bahraini people who love Palestine and support the resistance,” Hamas said in a press release on Friday.
The Movement also described the Bahraini minister’s remarks as “departure from the norms of the Arab and Muslim nations.”
It called on the Bahraini people and political parties to condemn such position and to support the steadfastness of the Palestinian people in the face of the conspiracies targeting their national cause.
Al Khalifa recently spoke to Israeli journalists on the sidelines of the US administration’s economic conference in Manama.
He strongly backed he Israel’s existence in occupied Palestine Wednesday, describing it as part of the region’s heritage.
“Israel is a country in the region … and it’s there to stay, of course,” he told journalists.
“Who did we offer the Arab peace initiative to? We offered it to a state named the state of Israel in the region. We did not offer it to some faraway island or some faraway country,” Khalifa said.
“We offered it to Israel. So we do believe that Israel is a country to stay, and we want better relations with it, and we want peace with it.”
The minister added that he would like to visit Israel in the future.
“Such remarks and ideas are strange to the values, principles and nobility of the Bahraini people who love Palestine and support the resistance,” Hamas said in a press release on Friday.
The Movement also described the Bahraini minister’s remarks as “departure from the norms of the Arab and Muslim nations.”
It called on the Bahraini people and political parties to condemn such position and to support the steadfastness of the Palestinian people in the face of the conspiracies targeting their national cause.
Al Khalifa recently spoke to Israeli journalists on the sidelines of the US administration’s economic conference in Manama.
He strongly backed he Israel’s existence in occupied Palestine Wednesday, describing it as part of the region’s heritage.
“Israel is a country in the region … and it’s there to stay, of course,” he told journalists.
“Who did we offer the Arab peace initiative to? We offered it to a state named the state of Israel in the region. We did not offer it to some faraway island or some faraway country,” Khalifa said.
“We offered it to Israel. So we do believe that Israel is a country to stay, and we want better relations with it, and we want peace with it.”
The minister added that he would like to visit Israel in the future.
27 june 2019
Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifah speaks with The Times of Israel on the sidelines of a US-led workshop in Manama on June 26, 2019
Bahrain takes the lid off its longtime secret dealings with Israel, with its foreign minister openly saying that the Manama regime wants “peace” and “better” relations with the occupying entity.
Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifah of Bahrain made the remarks on Wednesday in an unprecedented interview with The Times of Israel on the sidelines of the Washington-sponsored Manama workshop on US President Donald Trump's highly-controversial Middle East deal.
The top Bahraini diplomat recognized Israel’s “right to exietnce,” saying the regime is “there to stay, of course.”
“Who did we offer peace to [with] the [Arab] Peace Initiative?...We offered it to Israel,” he said. “We want better relations with it, and we want peace with it.”
The Arab initiative, which has been adopted by the Arab League, calls for the normalization of ties between Tel Aviv and Arab states in exchange for Israel’s withdrawal from lands it occupied in the 1967 war, including the West Bank, East Jerusalem al-Quds and Syria’s Golan Heights.
Khalifah also claimed that while Bahrain might be the only Arab country — besides Egypt and Jordan — to acknowledge Israel’s existence, “we know our brothers in the region do believe in it” as well.
Israel has full diplomatic ties with only two Arab states, Egypt and Jordan, but latest reports suggest Tel Aviv has been working behind the scenes to establish formal contacts with other Arab countries such as Bahrain.
The Bahraini foreign minister further encouraged Israel to approach Arab leaders about the issues of concern regarding the “peace” proposal.
“Come and talk to us. Talk to us about it. Say, guys, you have a good initiative, but we have one thing that worries us,” he said.
Khalifah also noted that Bahrain views the US-led workshop, which focused on the economic section of Trump’s proposal on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as a possible “gamechanger” like the 1978 Israel-Egypt Camp David Accords.
“As much as Camp David 1 was a major gamechanger, after the visit of [fromer Egyptian] President Anwar Sadat [to Jerusalem al-Quds]— if this succeeds, and we build on it, and it attracts attention and momentum, this would be the second gamechanger,” he said.
Khalifa stressed that although he has not yet seen the political part of Trump’s plan, called the “deal of the century,” but he was optimistic about it.
“We have to wait. I cannot talk about something that I don’t know. But we hope that this political plan will also be attractive to everybody,” he said.
All the Palestinian people have already rejected the deal and boycotted the related Bahrain event. The participants in the two-day meeting had ignored a Palestinian call to likewise boycott the workshop.
Speaking at the opening of the Bahrain workshop on Tuesday, Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, argued that agreeing to an economic pathway forward was “a necessary precondition” for resolving the conflict.
Under Trump's economic plan, $50 billion would be injected into struggling economies in the Middle East over the next ten years. Critics say Washington is offering financial rewards for Palestinians to accept the Israeli occupation.
Oman to open Palestine embassy
On Wednesday, Oman announced plans to open an embassy in Palestine, adding a delegation would travel to the West Bank city of Ramallah for that purpose.
“In line with the Sultanate’s support for the brotherly Palestinian people, it has decided to open a new diplomatic mission for Palestine at the level of embassy,” Oman's Foreign Ministry tweeted.
Hanan Ashrawi, a senior official in the Palestine Liberation Organization, welcomed Muscat’s decision.
“I hope the embassy will help in educating the Omani government on the real nature of the Israeli occupation,” she said.
Ashrawai, however, warned Oman against using its mission to establish formal ties with Tel Aviv, saying, "If this has a political price attached then certainly there will be ramifications." Mohammed al-Busaidi, an spokesman at Oman's embassy in London, told the Middle East Eye news portal that Oman’s ambassador to Jordan is currently handling relations with the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Bahrain takes the lid off its longtime secret dealings with Israel, with its foreign minister openly saying that the Manama regime wants “peace” and “better” relations with the occupying entity.
Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifah of Bahrain made the remarks on Wednesday in an unprecedented interview with The Times of Israel on the sidelines of the Washington-sponsored Manama workshop on US President Donald Trump's highly-controversial Middle East deal.
The top Bahraini diplomat recognized Israel’s “right to exietnce,” saying the regime is “there to stay, of course.”
“Who did we offer peace to [with] the [Arab] Peace Initiative?...We offered it to Israel,” he said. “We want better relations with it, and we want peace with it.”
The Arab initiative, which has been adopted by the Arab League, calls for the normalization of ties between Tel Aviv and Arab states in exchange for Israel’s withdrawal from lands it occupied in the 1967 war, including the West Bank, East Jerusalem al-Quds and Syria’s Golan Heights.
Khalifah also claimed that while Bahrain might be the only Arab country — besides Egypt and Jordan — to acknowledge Israel’s existence, “we know our brothers in the region do believe in it” as well.
Israel has full diplomatic ties with only two Arab states, Egypt and Jordan, but latest reports suggest Tel Aviv has been working behind the scenes to establish formal contacts with other Arab countries such as Bahrain.
The Bahraini foreign minister further encouraged Israel to approach Arab leaders about the issues of concern regarding the “peace” proposal.
“Come and talk to us. Talk to us about it. Say, guys, you have a good initiative, but we have one thing that worries us,” he said.
Khalifah also noted that Bahrain views the US-led workshop, which focused on the economic section of Trump’s proposal on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as a possible “gamechanger” like the 1978 Israel-Egypt Camp David Accords.
“As much as Camp David 1 was a major gamechanger, after the visit of [fromer Egyptian] President Anwar Sadat [to Jerusalem al-Quds]— if this succeeds, and we build on it, and it attracts attention and momentum, this would be the second gamechanger,” he said.
Khalifa stressed that although he has not yet seen the political part of Trump’s plan, called the “deal of the century,” but he was optimistic about it.
“We have to wait. I cannot talk about something that I don’t know. But we hope that this political plan will also be attractive to everybody,” he said.
All the Palestinian people have already rejected the deal and boycotted the related Bahrain event. The participants in the two-day meeting had ignored a Palestinian call to likewise boycott the workshop.
Speaking at the opening of the Bahrain workshop on Tuesday, Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, argued that agreeing to an economic pathway forward was “a necessary precondition” for resolving the conflict.
Under Trump's economic plan, $50 billion would be injected into struggling economies in the Middle East over the next ten years. Critics say Washington is offering financial rewards for Palestinians to accept the Israeli occupation.
Oman to open Palestine embassy
On Wednesday, Oman announced plans to open an embassy in Palestine, adding a delegation would travel to the West Bank city of Ramallah for that purpose.
“In line with the Sultanate’s support for the brotherly Palestinian people, it has decided to open a new diplomatic mission for Palestine at the level of embassy,” Oman's Foreign Ministry tweeted.
Hanan Ashrawi, a senior official in the Palestine Liberation Organization, welcomed Muscat’s decision.
“I hope the embassy will help in educating the Omani government on the real nature of the Israeli occupation,” she said.
Ashrawai, however, warned Oman against using its mission to establish formal ties with Tel Aviv, saying, "If this has a political price attached then certainly there will be ramifications." Mohammed al-Busaidi, an spokesman at Oman's embassy in London, told the Middle East Eye news portal that Oman’s ambassador to Jordan is currently handling relations with the Palestinian Authority (PA).
24 june 2019
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman speaks during an official meeting with the Iraqi Prime minister in Riyadh on April 17, 2019
Saudi Arabia’s expanding nuclear and missile programs have raised fears that it aims to acquire nuclear weapons, with analysts warning that a nuclear Riyadh under its “reckless” leadership would pose a threat to the countries in the region.
Saudi Arabia, a signatory of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), signed in 2005 a so-called small quantities protocol with the International Atomic Energy Agency, which exempts countries with no or minimal nuclear programs from inspections.
Riyadh, which is constructing a nuclear reactor, has so far resisted calls by the IAEA to implement proportionate safeguards and an inspection regime that would prohibit possible deviation towards weaponization.
“The small quantities protocol was designed to simplify safeguards for states with minimal or no nuclear material, but it is no longer adequate for Saudi Arabia's expanding nuclear program,” Kelsey Davenport, director of Nonproliferation Policy at Arms Control Association, told Middle East Eye.
Referring to Saudi Arabia’s threats to pursue nuclear weapons, its exemption from inspections and its developing ballistic missile program, Davenport said: “There are legitimate reasons to be concerned that Saudi Arabia is seeking to develop the technical capabilities that would allow Riyadh to quickly pursue nuclear weapons if the political decision were made to do so."
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, who enjoy strong support from US President Donald Trump, said last year that his country would promptly acquire nuclear weapons if Iran does.
Iran has warned that it has noticed some of its neighbors with a “proven black record of supporting terrorist movements” working on “suspicious nuclear projects,” which would force Tehran to revise its defense strategy.
According to a report by MEE, Saudi Arabia's nuclear and missile programs are bound to have significant regional implications.
Earlier this month, Democratic US Senator Tim Kaine revealed that the Trump administration had approved the transfer of nuclear know-how to the kingdom seven times, twice after the Riyadh regime's killing of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in early October 2018.
The money-driven politics of the American president have raised doubts about Washington's resolve, or even ability, to keep possible Saudi nuclear ambitions in check.
The Trump’s administration approved six authorizations that allow American companies to secretly provide Saudi Arabia with nuclear technology or technical assistance, revealed a document issued by the Department of Energy and seen by Reuters in late March.
Simultaneously, Saudi Arabia has reportedly stepped up its ballistic missile program with the help of China.
"Saudi Arabia's development of ballistic missiles goes against long-standing US policy of opposing missile proliferation in the region," said Nicholas L. Miller, professor of government at Dartmouth College. "But the Trump administration has so far been relatively quiet about its response."
"There seems to be a pattern in this administration of looking the other way at provocative Saudi behavior due to the laser-like focus on Iran," Miller argued.
‘Reckless’ leadership in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s concurrent and mostly clandestine missile and nuclear activities combined with bin Salman's warnings that the kingdom would pursue atomic weapons are also sounding alarm bells in certain regional capitals.
"A nuclear Saudi Arabia means nuclear proliferation in the most unstable and volatile region of the world," Ali Bakeer, a Turkey-based political analyst, told the online news outlet.
"Given the reckless leadership in Riyadh, this is an alarming development for small states in the [Persian] Gulf in particular, which might either seek a nuclear umbrella from great powers or consider constructing parallel deterrence capabilities of their own if they could afford it," he added.
Qatar is one of those countries that has feared an invasion by Riyadh. US officials said that Saudi Arabia was planning to invade Qatar and seize its North Dome gas field, before its imposition of an all-out diplomatic and economic boycott on the nation in June 2017.
Saudi Arabia’s expanding nuclear and missile programs have raised fears that it aims to acquire nuclear weapons, with analysts warning that a nuclear Riyadh under its “reckless” leadership would pose a threat to the countries in the region.
Saudi Arabia, a signatory of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), signed in 2005 a so-called small quantities protocol with the International Atomic Energy Agency, which exempts countries with no or minimal nuclear programs from inspections.
Riyadh, which is constructing a nuclear reactor, has so far resisted calls by the IAEA to implement proportionate safeguards and an inspection regime that would prohibit possible deviation towards weaponization.
“The small quantities protocol was designed to simplify safeguards for states with minimal or no nuclear material, but it is no longer adequate for Saudi Arabia's expanding nuclear program,” Kelsey Davenport, director of Nonproliferation Policy at Arms Control Association, told Middle East Eye.
Referring to Saudi Arabia’s threats to pursue nuclear weapons, its exemption from inspections and its developing ballistic missile program, Davenport said: “There are legitimate reasons to be concerned that Saudi Arabia is seeking to develop the technical capabilities that would allow Riyadh to quickly pursue nuclear weapons if the political decision were made to do so."
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, who enjoy strong support from US President Donald Trump, said last year that his country would promptly acquire nuclear weapons if Iran does.
Iran has warned that it has noticed some of its neighbors with a “proven black record of supporting terrorist movements” working on “suspicious nuclear projects,” which would force Tehran to revise its defense strategy.
According to a report by MEE, Saudi Arabia's nuclear and missile programs are bound to have significant regional implications.
Earlier this month, Democratic US Senator Tim Kaine revealed that the Trump administration had approved the transfer of nuclear know-how to the kingdom seven times, twice after the Riyadh regime's killing of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in early October 2018.
The money-driven politics of the American president have raised doubts about Washington's resolve, or even ability, to keep possible Saudi nuclear ambitions in check.
The Trump’s administration approved six authorizations that allow American companies to secretly provide Saudi Arabia with nuclear technology or technical assistance, revealed a document issued by the Department of Energy and seen by Reuters in late March.
Simultaneously, Saudi Arabia has reportedly stepped up its ballistic missile program with the help of China.
"Saudi Arabia's development of ballistic missiles goes against long-standing US policy of opposing missile proliferation in the region," said Nicholas L. Miller, professor of government at Dartmouth College. "But the Trump administration has so far been relatively quiet about its response."
"There seems to be a pattern in this administration of looking the other way at provocative Saudi behavior due to the laser-like focus on Iran," Miller argued.
‘Reckless’ leadership in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s concurrent and mostly clandestine missile and nuclear activities combined with bin Salman's warnings that the kingdom would pursue atomic weapons are also sounding alarm bells in certain regional capitals.
"A nuclear Saudi Arabia means nuclear proliferation in the most unstable and volatile region of the world," Ali Bakeer, a Turkey-based political analyst, told the online news outlet.
"Given the reckless leadership in Riyadh, this is an alarming development for small states in the [Persian] Gulf in particular, which might either seek a nuclear umbrella from great powers or consider constructing parallel deterrence capabilities of their own if they could afford it," he added.
Qatar is one of those countries that has feared an invasion by Riyadh. US officials said that Saudi Arabia was planning to invade Qatar and seize its North Dome gas field, before its imposition of an all-out diplomatic and economic boycott on the nation in June 2017.