Regional Pursuits of Nuclear Capability
The assertion that Iran stands alone in pursuing nuclear technology across the Middle East is contradicted by extensive regional developments. While Tehran's drive toward weaponization has commanded intense scrutiny, several other Middle Eastern countries have actively established and expanded their own nuclear programs.
Saudi Arabia's Nuclear Infrastructure and Fuel Cycle Ambitions
Saudi Arabia has undertaken substantial steps over the past decade to cultivate an indigenous nuclear sector. According to research published by the Institute for National Security Studies, an operational facility designed to extract yellowcake from mined uranium ore was identified within the kingdom, built in collaboration with two Chinese enterprises. This installation represents an early component of the kingdom's effort to develop domestic nuclear fuel cycle capabilities.
The Saudi government has advanced formal plans to construct nuclear reactors to generate electrical power and support water desalination projects. Riyadh issued tenders for its initial two commercial power reactors while seeking agreements that would permit domestic uranium enrichment. In 2018, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman declared that Saudi Arabia would move immediately to secure nuclear capabilities should Iran successfully build a bomb. Following this stance in 2019, Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman affirmed the kingdom's objective to master every phase of the nuclear fuel cycle.
The China National Nuclear Corporation founded an office in Riyadh after formalizing a civilian nuclear agreement in 2012. Subsequent agreements with Chinese entities included a 2016 feasibility study for high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, followed by 2017 agreements surveying Saudi uranium and thorium deposits and evaluating reactor applications for seawater desalination.
Egypt's Commercial Reactor Construction at El Dabaa
As reported by Global Construction Review , Cairo finalized a twenty-five billion dollar contract with Russian state nuclear entity Rosatom to construct the Dabaa nuclear power plant. The bilateral arrangement, ratified by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in late 2018, is backed by a state loan from Moscow covering project costs at an annual interest rate of three percent, with repayments scheduled to begin in 2029.
Egyptian industrial firms, including Petrojet, Hassan Allam, and the Arab Contractors, were contracted to execute foundational site preparation at El Dabaa. Russian engineering subsidiary Atomstroyexport established an operational goal for Egyptian enterprises to execute twenty percent of reactor construction tasks. In preparation for the build, Egyptian engineers were sent to Russia to undergo specialized technical instruction at the Kursk II nuclear facility.
The Expanding Regional Dynamic
The Jewish Virtual Library notes that an unconstrained Iranian nuclear program threatens to catalyze an expansive atomic arms race across the Middle East. Diplomatic leaders previously cautioned that other regional powers would refuse to accept an asymmetric security environment in which Tehran alone wielded military nuclear capability.