Not much a diary. I just wanted to call attention to a bunch of stories that were circulating around in 2015 — 2017. Here is an example: Michael Flynn, Russia and a Grand Scheme to Build Nuclear Power Plants in Saudi Arabia and the Arab World.
It you search around the internet you will find quite a few related articles. One of the concerns about building Saudi reactors was that the fuel could be enriched and used in nuclear weapons. Apparently this was Flynn’s primary focus in 2015. I can’t help but wonder if the stolen documents tie into this effort. It explains the Kushner relationship with MBS and Flynn’s role at the beginning of the Trump administration.
Like the rest of you, I don’t know what is going on, but it may be this, and if so, it is BIG.
Edit: The material below is actually from one of my comment. It should have been part of the main diary. I just hit “Publish” impetuously. Here you go…
Below is an excerpt from Wikipedia: Nuclear program of Saudi Arabia. This will shed some light on the current state of the Saudi capabilities. It makes the news of Trump harboring nuclear weapons documents at Mara-a-Lago all the more interesting. This bit is especially interesting:
“… a deal allowing Saudi Arabia to access to nuclear secrets through the U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry, with an approval known as Part 810 authorizations.”
The point is that this issue with the Saudi’s and nuclear weapons taken together with Kushner’s bizarre dealing with MBS has been going on for a long time. It has been reported on. But this stuff is ignored because it is complicated and doesn’t fit into a simple sound bite. Plus, Trump has take all of the political oxygen for so long that no one can focus on the stuff going on right under our noses.
Marcy Wheeler of emptywheel.net fame wrote the diary that I should have written here but was to lazy to undertake. Read THE LEGAL AND POLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF NUCLEAR DOCUMENT[S] TRUMP IS SUSPECTED TO HAVE STOLEN for the background.
Meanwhile here is the salient wiki stuff:
In May 2015, in response to The Sunday Times of London report that the Saudis had "taken the 'strategic decision' to acquire 'off-the-shelf' atomic weapons from Pakistan," amid growing fears of a nuclear-armed Iran,[30] a Saudi defense official dismissed it as speculation.[31]
In March 2018, the crown prince said if Iran decided to build a nuclear weapon, "we will follow suit as soon as possible". This prompted U.S. Senator Ed Markey to comment "nuclear energy in Saudi Arabia is about more than just electrical power", implying Saudi Arabia was interested in nuclear power to gain the skills to be able to develop weapons. This potentially reduces the probability of a nuclear deal with the U.S.[32]
in May 2018, Al Jazeera media reported the statement from the former director of Al Arabiya TV, Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed, who wrote in the Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper an article while accompanying Prince Mohammed bin Salman on his recent visit to Washington that no one can confirm if Saudi Arabia is capable of building a nuclear weapon yet.[33] However, the news former director has pointed out that Riyadh owns uranium materials in its desert, and has adopted a plan to extract it within 2030.[33]
In March, Donald Trump's administration approved a deal allowing Saudi Arabia to access to nuclear secrets through the U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry, with an approval known as Part 810 authorizations. Although it doesn't allow to access equipment required to process Uranium, it allows the 6 companies involved to keep their authorization be withheld from public release and evading the Congress about the information shared with the Kingdom.[34]
According to reports, Saudi Arabia initiated the construction of its first research reactor at the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology. In May 2020, satellite images revealed that a roof concealed the cylindrical reactor vessel, which was visible through roof beams in a satellite picture until 15 March 2020. The Kingdom was using the division for the generation of electricity, to export crude consumed for domestic energy needs, generate more revenue for the government, and create a handful of job opportunities. However, experts raised a doubt, as the country already possessed cheaper, safer, and renewable ways to achieve these objectives from sunlight. It was also reported that Saudi Arabia did not sign up to halt the enrichment of uranium, reprocessing of spent fuel and neither signed the 123 Agreement with the United States.[35]
Saudi Arabia constructed a facility for extracting uranium yellowcake from uranium ore with the help of China. According to a western official, the facility was built near the remote town of AlUla. Saudi Arabia has signed most limited safeguard agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency.[36]
On 17 September 2020, The Guardian reported Saudi Arabia of being in possession of enough uranium ore reserves to produce 90,000 tonnes worth of uranium. It stated the finding on the basis of the reports compiled by the Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology (BRIUG) and the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), in association with Saudi Geological survey. As per the reports, three different deposits in the central and northwest region of the country were reported to be potential for the extraction. The disclosure reportedly increased concerns regarding Riyadh’s aggressive interest in developing atomic weapons program. In this report geologists identified some reserves near the controversial Neom megacity development are and estimated that Saudi could produce over 90,000 tonnes of uranium from three deposits.[37]
If I am betting on what this is all about, this is the angle I would bet on.