Originally appeared at ZeroHedge
As if US policy in the Middle East hasn’t been chaotic and contradictory enough in recent weeks and months (or more honestly decades), White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders let slip a bombshell admission regarding Saudi Arabia and nuclear weapons during a Wednesday press briefing.
Or perhaps it’s more important what she didn’t say regarding Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister announcing earlier that day that “his country stands ready to build nuclear weapons if Iran restarts its atomic weapons program.”
Sanders was asked by a reporter about the White House response to Saudi Arabia’s brazen statement declaring itself willing to pursue nukes. The exchange is as follows:
QUESTION: Sarah, Saudi Arabia said that they would pursue a nuclear weapons program if Iran were to pursue a nuclear weapons program. Would they have the administration’s support in the event that that occurred?
MS. SANDERS: Right now, I don’t know that we have a specific policy announcement on that front, but I can tell you that we are very committed to making sure that Iran does not have nuclear weapons.
Q. Saudi Arabia said they would pursue a nuclear weapons program if Iran were to pursue one. Would they have the administration's support?
Sanders: I don't know that we have a specific policy on that front… but we are committed to making sure Iran doesn't have nuclear weapons. pic.twitter.com/Y8Mvaw2iAY— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 9, 2018
Previously in the day on Wednesday Saudi FM Adel Al-Jubeir told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that “we will do whatever it takes to protect our people. We have made it very clear that if Iran acquires a nuclear capability we will do everything we can to do the same.”
In a follow-up al-Jubeir was asked to state unambiguously that a nuclear armed Iran would mean the kingdom will work to produce its own nuclear capability, to which said firmly, “That’s what we mean.” So when Sanders was presented with this statement, all the White House Press Secretary could say is, “we are very committed to making sure that Iran does not have nuclear weapons.”
And not even so much as a cautionary word from the White House regarding the Saudi FM’s bold declaration. No doubt, both the Iranians and Saudis took note of this exchange, though largely ignored across mainstream media as Al-Jazeera’s Mehdi Hasan observed: “Astonishing comment – the US has no policy on Saudi getting nukes? And yet it will be forgotten by tomorrow…”
Astonishing comment – the US has no policy on Saudi getting nukes??And yet it will be forgotten by tomorrow given all the other insane Trump-related stories that we have to digest on an hourly basis.
No wonder @Amy_Siskind wrote The List… https://t.co/cdXDXWX0hP
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) May 9, 2018
And yet in response to the very next question Sanders reaffirmed that the US pullout of the Iran nuclear deal means “enormous sanctions” and “maximum pressure” will be put on Iran.
Sanders explained:
As the President said yesterday, he would like to see something happen, but we are 100 percent committed to making sure that Iran does not have nuclear weapons. And that’s — until we see that happen, we’re going to continue to put maximum pressure, enormous sanctions on them.
All of the sanctions that were in place before the deal are back in place, and we are preparing to add additional sanctions that may come as early as next week.
Notably, Iran has never publicly declared intent to build a nuclear bomb, and yet, Saudi Arabia just did on one of America’s largest and most visible news networks.
But it appears that both the White House and mainstream media merely yawned in response, content to quickly return to Iran’s supposed quest for world domination.
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir says his country “will do whatever it takes to protect (its) people” if Iran restarts its nuclear weapons program, including developing its own nuclear weapons capability https://t.co/eUcIn3dpRR
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) May 9, 2018
As many commentators have already pointed out the obvious regarding US double-dealing and hypocrisy on nuclear proliferation, none of this bodes well for Trump’s impending negotiations with North Korea regarding its nuclear arsenal.
And not to mention that Wednesday’s White House press briefing just gave the Saudis the green-light to do whatever they want (though perhaps capability is another thing altogether), especially as the accepted US-Saudi-Israeli position appears to be that the Iranians were already in the process of secretly restarting their program—hence the claimed need to collapse the deal.
It is quite possible that historians will look back on all of this as the week the White House triggered a Middle East nuclear arms race.
US Regime in a nutshell. Accuse without any evidence.
Exactly what cops, FBI, and IRS agents have always done.
Is USA the father of the world ???? Do every country need authorization from USA to pee ????
Allies can do what ever they want but not Enemy
1.No ICBMs, stop proliferating ballistic missiles to others
2.end of terror support (support for Hezbollah, Hamas and Houthis.
3.end opposition to Israel’s existence
4.Stop threat to US freedom of navigation ex:Persian gulf and Red sea
5.end cyberattacks
6.don’t crackdown protesters against Iran regime.
7.stop detention of US citizens
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0b6f61997c02a47f9bcd63a5702a8874293a9211c111b5c44b85a53ac37e80ee.jpg
what does US expect from these demands?
1.stop defending yourself
2.no resistance against Israel,then Israel can grab land easily. victory for Saudi-led coalition in Yemen
5.stop revenge for stuxnet,don’t fight back.but allow us to attack you.
4,7 stop arresting spies,allow to spying on you.
6.allow us to execute regime change plans.
You translate it right. USA is asking Iran to stop defending and be ready to be nuked. USA asks it for every country in the world.
But, most people accept and worst most people like USA.
Most people don’t believe in their rights and don’t believe in freedom. They like to be walking dead.
Us Iranians thank Mr. Trump wholeheartedly because he didn’t claim that we fund ISIS too.
What a relief!
I wish he did, that would of been the joke of the month
Your #1 rates far more attention than most people are giving it. Trump tore up the JCPOA because Israel always wanted to prohibit Iran from making ballistic missiles. That was too outrageous a demand when the plan was originally negotiated, and Nettanyahu has been pouting and throwing tantrums about it ever since. That includes any ground-to-ground tactical missiles, and any ability for Iran to put satellites in orbit (or destroy annoying Israeli spy satellites).
A psychopath can’t freely dominate or exploit you if you might get pissed off and punch him in the mouth. Israel is living in the past – someone tell them the Six-Day-War is over. Air dominance by itself only works (and marginally, at best) when you’re threatening some lightly-armed third-world nation. You still have to roll in armor and troops after that.
Israel threw all their eggs in one basket: billions and billions (of my US taxes) into a sophisticated air force to guarantee their ability to control the skies over any adversary. Now, they’re stuck with an air force that can only toss stand-off weapons at Syria because they can’t destroy Syria’s modern air defense network. No air dominance – no Merkava’s rolling across the UNDOF into Syria. They would be slaughtered by TOWs.
Far worse than that is an adversary’s ability to level the playing field with precision ballistic missiles. Israel can launch massive air operations involving dozens of jets to destroy Syrian targets, but iranian/Syrian precision ballistic missiles inside Syria can take out their home airports (or their fuel/ammunition depots, or the base infrastructure) back in Israel the minute those F-15s start lighting up their Delilas.
Can Israel expect to take out 1) enough Syrian air defenses, to 2) strike all the mobile missile launchers that pop up in Syria? Not sure, but remember: they claimed that they had destroyed 90% of Syria’s air defenses… several times now. And they just claimed that they destroyed all Iranian ‘units’ (read: missile launchers and crews) in Syria. So, I give them another three or four tries until they even get close to destroying a quarter of them.
Israel needs total air dominance to freely hunt potential missile threats inside Syria. Syria, Russia and Iran know that. That part isn’t happening (no matter how many times Israel claims otherwise).
Obama tried to distance the USA foreign policy from Israel overreaching interest which the only things he do good although unsuccessfully. Ironically there have been absent of aircraft and it’s hardware updates because Israel never tried to make and produced it’s own design or system. It’s conditions mirror the current USAAF with F16 F15 as it’s main workhorse.
Saudi rhetoric hasn’t been getting the attention it deserves, for instance they are in the middle of a trade war with Qatar. I can guarantee everyone that neither of US or anyone else would allow the Saudis to get nukes.
Under normal circumstances yes. But with these Trump administration on the white house anything is possible.
You wish.
It means that the US knows Iran is not building nuclear weapons, that’s why they have no policy.
Trump and Netanyahu both are despicable. Mr. Putin hate them a lot due to land steeling of other nations, small kids kidnapping and butchering and due to regular attacks on Russian allies Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen etc. Russia and China both have their own lands while US and Israel both are migrants and have occupied the lands of other nations and then trying it that stealing land is legal act. That is why both are corrupt and pervert. LOL.
US and Israeli migrants support terrorist organizations until their mission complete. After then they slaughter all these terrorists by their own army forces that have worked for them to build their damage reputation. They have done this in Japan, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Libya etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtoP7hw_deU Putin and Egypt’s Sisi make joint statement after meeting in Cairo Egypt also divorced US because now they have start deep political and defence cooperations with Russia. If a country is developing and buiding industries and making their defenses stronger then it means that the country is now moving away from US and NATO states.
11 Dec, 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW2o884Mx18 Russia: Jordanian King lauds Putin’s role in Syrian settlement. King Abdullah also stood for the support of Syria and Palestine. Russia and their allies Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan face serious provocations from US and Israel. If a country is developing and buiding industries and making their defenses stronger then it means that the country is now moving away from US and NATO states.
15 Feb, 2018
Bro, the Jordanian King is filth, and he works for the Americans and British.
Do not look at 1 thing that someone said and believe it. Look at them as a whole, and you will realise they are scum.
I don’t think the Saudis could develop nuclear weapons on their own. The only technical thing they know how to do is drill oil. I’d fear New Zealand developing nukes before I would fear the Saudis. But if someone were to GIVE them the technology……
Even the drilling is done by others
They do not know how to drill oil, that is done by US or European Companies…. they are as thick and lazy as sh1t.
Ernest Rutherford (a New Zealander) is known as the Father of Nuclear Physics, so I’d say you’re spot-on there :)
Handing over nukes to Saudis is like giving dynamite to a baby. Exactly why are they considered a US ally. Almost all the 9-11 peeps were Saudis. They are a repressive dictatorship whose support for terrorist extremists is welI known. The same qualities that the US has whined about in every nation they have invaded.
MOSSAD recruited for 9/11 and supervised the operation. The CIA paid for it, procured all the thermate, mined the Twin Towers, rigged the aircraft for remote control, and coordinated with Cheney and Rumsfeld. That’s the only way they could have pulled it off without being more obvious than they already were. I wish someone would waterboard Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Silverstein and extract their memoirs before they are finally checked into eternal hell. Think of all the people they burned alive, the conversation of that poor woman talking to the idiot 911 operator while literally on fire. “Stay calm!” Yeah, right, wish you were here to show me how.
Trumpy and nutty yahoo are facing serious investigation for corruption, what better way to divert attention away from these by starting major crisis and wars.Their Rothschild bosses will keep the investigators at bay in order to get their Iran agenda kick started.
Its only fair that Theresa May has a shooting war as well.
Mind you, it may not be the war she wishes for and be an eruption of Takfiri violence in the UK big cities instead.
There is no more dangerous thing than a Terrorist Scorned :)
Zionnist Life Motto : We Do So But We Don’t Like So ahaha
Sarah merely said *she* didn’t know if Trumps administration had a policy in place on Saudi Arabia gaining nuclear weapons. If you watch her full rapid-fire question & answer session press briefing, this is the answer she gives when she has no information on a question a reporter has posed. And she gives this answer regularly every daily briefing.
Saudis already have mini nukes and tried one out in Yemen – Anybody that believes most of what comes out of the ME countries of S A , Israel, Turkey, Qatar, and UAI are pre programmed.