US Nuclear Double Standard: Riyadh Gets Enrichment, Tehran Gets Sanctions
The United States is reportedly considering a nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia that would allow the kingdom some form of uranium enrichment capabilities on its soil. This development arrives amidst expert warnings about proliferation risks. It also stands in stark contrast to the aggressive posture consistently adopted towards Iran, which has faced 45 years of crippling sanctions and covert
operations precisely for pursuing a civilian nuclear program. The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which rigorously curtailed Iran's enrichment for guaranteed peaceful purposes, was unilaterally abandoned by the US in 2018, despite Iran's full compliance for 14 months after that withdrawal. This proposed arrangement exposes a profound double standard. While Washington threatens
Iran with military action and economic strangulation over its nuclear advancements, it simultaneously greenlights a potentially similar path for a key Gulf ally. Iran's program arose in part from the 1953 CIA-orchestrated coup that overthrew its democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, leading to decades of distrust and a perceived need for self-reliance in defense. Saudi Arabia,
a monarchy with a questionable human rights record and interventionist foreign policy, including its devastating war in Yemen which caused over 377,000 deaths by 2021 according to the UN, now appears to be granted a concession denied to Iran. The financial incentives for US corporations are substantial. Westinghouse, General Electric, and other nuclear technology firms stand to gain billion-dollar