Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Saudi Arabia is said to be producing ballistic missiles with the help of China. CNN International and CNBC International reported this from the intelligence agency report United States (US).
Satellite images even show that King Salman’s kingdom is producing missiles at a location. Citing US officials, intelligence is said to have uncovered several large-scale transfers of missile technology between the two countries.
The photo was taken by Planet, a commercial imaging company, between October 26 and November 9. The arson operation took place at a facility near Dawadmi, Saudi Arabia.
“The key evidence is that the facility operates a ‘burning pit’ to remove solid propellant residue from ballistic missile production,” said Jeffrey Lewis, a weapons expert and professor at the Middlebury Institute for International Studies who reviewed the report.
“Solid propellant missile production facilities often have combustion vents where residual propellant can be disposed of by burning.”
Analysts say this fact will be a new homework for US President Joe Biden. Moreover, Biden is focusing on restraining Iran’s nuclear development.
“While significant attention has been focused on Iran’s massive ballistic missile program, Saudi Arabia’s development and now its production have not received the same level of scrutiny,” Lewis said.
“Saudi Arabia’s domestic production of ballistic missiles demonstrates that any diplomatic effort to control missile proliferation needs to also involve other regional actors. Such as Saudi Arabia and Israel, which also produce their own ballistic missiles.”
Ankit Panda, an expert on nuclear and weapons policy at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the same thing. Saudi Arabia’s missile program will introduce new challenges to curbing other missile programs in the region.
“For example, Iranian missiles, which are a major US concern, will be more difficult to contain in the future without parallel to Saudi Arabia’s growing program,” he said.
The US National Security Council and the CIA have not commented on this. Saudi Arabia did the same.
But China’s Foreign Ministry said the two countries are comprehensive strategic partners to maintain friendly cooperation in all fields. This also includes military trade.
“Such cooperation does not violate international law and does not involve the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,” the statement said.
Saudi Arabia and the US are allies in the middle east. However, Saudi Arabia’s arms purchases to the US were temporarily suspended due to the issue of human rights violations in Saudi Arabia.
Earlier, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made it clear that his country would develop a nuclear bomb if Riyadh did so. It’s no secret, Saudi Arabia and Iran are at loggerheads with each other in the region.
“Saudi Arabia does not want to acquire a nuclear bomb, but without a doubt if Iran develops a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible,” the oil-rich country’s de facto leader told reporters. CBS in 2018.
(boss / boss)
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