There are denials all around. But given that I worry that Iran might try to buy a nuke (from North Korea?) to bridge the dangerous gap between enrichment capabilities and a nuclear deterrent, why shouldn't Saudi Arabia be ready to buy a completed atomic bomb?
Citing American intelligence reports and a former Pakistani security officer, BBC Newsnight reported that nuclear weapons made in Pakistan for Saudi Arabia were ready for delivery.
But AQ Khan, who has admitted running a proliferation ring supplying secrets to Iran and Libya, said neither Pakistan nor Saudi Arabia had anything to gain – and a lot to lose by being ostracised by the international community and slapped with sanctions.
Please. The first rule of Islamic Bomb Club is that you don't talk about Islamic Bomb Club.
As for being ostracized by the international community? Seriously? Was Pakistan ostracized when they went nuclear? Was India ostracized?
No, the world will get over it if Saudi Arabia goes nuclear to counter an Iranian nuke. If the Saudis don't trust us to protect them from Iran, this is the only alternative that makes sense.
Pakistan probably has warheads made to fit Saudi Arabia's Chinese-supplied ballistic missiles.
Have a super sparkly day.
UPDATE: More on the reports.
The story notes Saudi Arabia's purchase of Chinese CSS-2 ballistic missiles in 1988. This will help you sleep well:
In another twist, the atomic bomb design that China gave Pakistan in 1982 would fit nicely on a CSS-2 -- Pakistani scientists redesigned it to make it fit on one of their own missiles.
Like I said, Pakistan long said it had the "(Sunni)Islamic bomb." Saudi Arabia has been the head of Sunni Islam by its stewardship of the religion's holy sites and by funding their version of Islam around the world. It doesn't take a great leap to assume that Saudi Arabia, which has bought protection with its oil wealth all along, would also look at the nuclear angle and help fund Pakistan's nuclear program.
How's that sparkle level holding?
