| Weapons of mass destruction |
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| By type |
| By country |
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| Non-state |
| Biological weapons by country |
| Chemical weapons by country |
| Nuclear weapons by country |
| Proliferation |
| Treaties |
TheKingdom of Saudi Arabia has not officially maintained or possessed theweapons of mass destruction (WMD). In 1972, Saudi Arabiasigned and ratified theBiological Weapons Convention, followed by the ratification ofChemical Weapons Convention (1996) andNuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (1998).[1][2][3]
Over the issue of nuclear energy, Saudi Arabia has made steps towards a nuclear program[4][5] and according to some observations, the program can be weaponized towards developing nuclear weapons.[6][7]
In 2018,Mohammad bin Salman, theCrown Prince of Saudi Arabia, confirmed on interview given to AmericanCBS's60 Minutes that Saudi Arabia would develop nuclear weapons ifIran successfully detonated one, causing widespread distrust of theSaudi Arabian nuclear program.[8][9]
TheKingdom of Saudi Arabia has officially a signed party of and ratified theTreaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons since 1998.[10][11] At the nuclear energy governance level, the Saudi government has an agreement with theInternational Atomic Energy Agency.[12][13]
The Saudi interests in nuclear issue started in 2010 when it announced to start the program aim to look for generating electricity using the nuclear power and Saudi officials reached out theFrance,South Korea,Russia,China, and theUnited States to help establish the industry.[14]
The Saudi government established theKing Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KA CARE) as a government agency to oversee the program and commissioned thePöyry PLC, aFinnish engineering consulting firm, to assist in expounding "high-level strategy in the area of nuclear and renewable energy applications" with desalination.[15]
The Saudi Arabian nuclear program received much more publicized controversy when it reached out to Pakistan in an attempt to establish a nuclear physics laboratory, which can be purposed towards understanding thenuclear weapons environment.[6][14][16]
On 17 September 2020, according to a confidential report compiled by theChina National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and the Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology (BRIUG), as seen byThe Guardian,Saudi Arabia was identified to have enoughuranium ore reserves to begin domestic production ofnuclear fuel. Saudi Arabia was found heading as another country in the Arab region, after theUnited Arab Emirates, to begin its own nuclear energy program. Chinese data revealed that Saudi was capable of producing nearly 90,000 tonnes ofuranium.Saudi Arabia was working with Chinese geologists to identify the uranium deposits that were located in Saudi's northwestern region, where the Crown PrinceMohammed bin Salman was planning to build theNeom city. There were concerns, where Saudi was under suspicions of producing nuclear weapons, as it lacked transparency. Saudi Arabia followed the IAEA's Small Quantities Protocol regulations which did not allow direct inspections of Saudi nuclear facilities.[17][18][19]
In 1987, the Saudi Arabian secret procurement of theCSS-2intermediate-range ballistic missiles fromChina raised the concerns of proliferation of missiles during theIran-Iraq War.[20] In 1994, Saudi Arabia was alleged to provide funding of theIraqi nuclear program in a larger view of transferring the nuclear technology by the defecting senior Saudi diplomatMohammad al-Khilewi– his claims were later proved unsubstantiated by the U.S. investigators.[17] After theU.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003,The Guardian andGlobalSecurity.org reported that Saudi Arabia had renewed its interest in nuclear weapons, while in 2005The New York Times claimed that U.S. PresidentGeorge W. Bush indicated to British Prime MinisterTony Blair that he was open to apreemptive strikes to prevent Saudi Arabia from acquiring nuclear weapons.[17][21]
In 2009, whenKing Abdullah of Saudi Arabia warned visiting U.S. special envoy to the Middle EastDennis Ross that if Iran crossed the threshold, "we will get nuclear weapons", since then, the Kingdom has sent the Americans numerous signals of its intentions.[22] On March 15, 2018Saudi defense minister and heir to the throne PrinceMohammad bin Salman made such a statement on theCBS60 Minutes program.[23]
Over the years, Saudi Arabia has fostered and forgedspecial relations withPakistan, a nuclear power, and there exists an official agreement focusing primarily onsecurity and defense matters much less than trade and economic development.[24] This nature of relationship between an influential Arab state and a nuclear power has attracted substantial speculation of purchasing of a nuclear warhead in the Western news media.[25][26][27] Although, the Saudi foreign ministry had not confirmed on possibility of purchasing a nuclear warhead, Pakistan throughits ambassador,Muhammad Naeem, did reaffirmed the defense ties with the Kingdom in2012.[28]
In 2013, theBBC Persia, using multiple sources from previously reported, had fueled this speculations furthermore when leveling the serious allegations on Saudi Arabia by approaching to Pakistan for purchasing the nuclear warhead with a "belief" that they are able to gain access tonuclear weapons "at will".[10][29][30] The European and Israeli diplomats did echoed the BBC Persia's report indicating that nuclear warheads which have been manufactured in Pakistan by the request of Riyadh, are "ready for delivery."[10][16][31]
TheSharif administration (2013–17) in Pakistan had to sustained intense criticism coming from theObama administration (2009–17), which had witnessed the tense relations betweenPakistan–United States, and the Obama administration staffers had privately toldThe Times that "Riyadh could have the nuclear warheads in a matter of days of approaching Islamabad."[31] The Obama administration senior staffer,Gary Samore, who until March 2013 was PresidentBarack Obama's counter-proliferation adviser, was of the view with theBBC Newsnight: "I do think that the Saudis believe that they have some understanding with Pakistan that, in extremis, they would have claim to acquire nuclear weapons from Pakistan."[31]
In 2019, theHouse Committee on Oversight and Reform in theUnited States Congress reported thatPresident Donald Trump planned to provide nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia in violation of theAtomic Energy Act.[32] The nuclear reactors were planned to be built by the American contractor,IP3 International, while negotiations were conducted by senior advisorJared Kushner andU.S. Energy SecretaryRick Perry.[33] The report caused widespread condemnation from bothRepublican andDemocratic lawmakers in both houses ofCongress due in part to the recentassassination of Saudi dissident,Jamal Khashoggi, and the conduct of theSaudi Arabian war in Yemen.[34] In theU.S. Senate, SenatorsEd Markey andMarco Rubio introduced a bill,The Saudi Nuclear Proliferation Act, to block the deal.[8] Concerns were also directed about whether the deal would entail access touranium enrichment technology.[33] In responseU.S. Deputy Energy SecretaryDan Brouillette claimed that Saudi Arabia would sign aSection 123 agreement restricting how Saudi Arabia could use nuclear technology.[35]
In May 2025, U.S. CongresswomanMarjorie Taylor Greene, a member of the counterterrorism and intelligence subcommittee of theHouse Homeland Security Committee, stated that "Saudi Arabia has nuclear weapons". She did not offer further clarification.[36]
In 1986–87, Saudi Arabia secretly negotiated withChina, and purchased Chinese-madeCSS-2intermediate-range ballistic missiles, which are nuclear capable in Chinese service, but reportedly sold to Saudi Arabia withconventional high-explosive warheads.[37][38] However their lowcircular error probable accuracy (1–1.5 km (0.62–0.93 mi)) makes them unsuitable for effective military use against military targets when carrying a conventional warhead.[39] The CSS-2 has a range of 4,850 km (3,010 mi) with a payload of either 2,150 kg (4,740 lb) or 2,500 kg (5,500 lb).[40] These missiles were delivered with between 35 to 50transporter erector launcher trucks.[41][42] Initially in March 2006, theGerman magazine,Cicero, incorrectly alleged that Saudi Arabia had received these missiles from Pakistan while misreporting by publishing the satellite photos that revealed amissile silo, which misidentified, and confused theCSS missiles to that of theGhauri nuclear warheads inAl-Sulaiyil, south of the capitalRiyadh, followed by anothermissile silo site in al-Watah.[43]
In 2013, the existence of a separate branch of Saudi Arabia's armed forces, theRoyal Saudi Strategic Missile Force was officially announced, and these missiles were first placed for public viewing in 2014.[44][45]
The American political outlet, theNewsweek, quoted an anonymous source in 2014 that Saudi Arabia had acquiredCSS-5intermediate-range ballistic missiles from China in 2007 with "Bush administration's quiet approval on the condition that CIA technical experts could verify they were not designed to carry nuclear warheads".[46] TheCenter for Strategic and International Studies lists the CSS-5 as being capable of carrying either 250-kiloton or 500-kiloton nuclear or various types of conventional high-explosive warheads.[20] The CSS-5, while it has a comparatively shorter range (2,800 km (1,700 mi) ) and half thepayload (1 ton) of the CSS-2, is solid-fueled, thus can be set up and placed on alert status more easily than the liquid-fueled CSS-2, and its accuracy is much greater (circular error probable of 30 meters).[47]
In technical evaluation and examination completed by the AmericanCentral Intelligence Agency (CIA) reportedly concluded that the "modified nosecones" and that nuclear warheads that might be purchased from China could not be fitted.[48]
The conventional missile capability is widely understood in a context of deterrence against theIranian missile program.[37]
 Participation in the Biological Weapons Convention
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| Signed | April 10, 1972 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | London, Moscow, and Washington, D.C. | ||
| Effective | March 26, 1975 | ||
| Condition | Ratification by 22 states | ||
| Signatories | 109 | ||
| Parties | 180 as of January 2018 (complete list) | ||
In 1972, Saudia Arabiaratified and signed theBiological Weapons Convention (BWC), followed by theChemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in 1996.[12]
There are no known biotechnological or chemical infrastructure in the Saudi Arabia nor the Saudi Arabian government ever suspected of possession of such weapons.[7]
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