In an expected – yet troubling – announcement, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman recently told CBS News that his country will have no other choice but to develop nuclear weapons when Iran does. Prince bin Salman was careful to point out that his country does not wish to develop such weaponry but feels it must do so in order to maintain the tenuous balance of power in the region once Iran acquires nuclear weapons. “Without a doubt, if Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we would follow suit as soon as possible,” he said. Saudi Arabia and Iran have long been rivals in the Middle East. Each is dominated by different branches of Islam - Sunni for Saudi Arabia, Shia for Iran - and they have historically supported opposing powers in regional conflicts. For instance, even though Saudi Arabia signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in 1988 wherein they agreed not to build a nuclear weapon, it is widely reported that the Saudi’s were heavily financially invested in the country of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons projects. Thus, as indicated by Amos Yadlin, a former head of Israeli military intelligence, the path that Saudi Arabia could take to acquiring nuclear weapons would be fairly expedient. Yadlin stated, that once Iran builds a nuclear weapon, “the Saudis will not wait one month. They already paid for the bomb, they will go to Pakistan and bring what they need to bring.”
Iran Suspected of Developing Nuclear Weapons
Iran also signed the non-proliferation treaty and has long insisted its nuclear programs are for peaceful purposes. However, in 2015, it signed onto an international agreement that saw crippling economic sanctions lifted in return for limitations on the programs, which caused many world powers to fear Iran would use as an excuse to create a nuclear weapon. The deal restricted uranium enrichment, plutonium production, and allowed for increased inspections. However, there have been repeated difficulties for inspectors to gain access to Iran’s nuclear facilities. Complicating this is that in recent months Iran has tested a medium-range ballistic missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead. Furthermore, many Israeli government analysts believe Iran already has at least one nuclear bomb. Shalom Yerushalmi, writing in the Israeli national daily Maariv, said that “government security sources up to date on development in Iran,” told him recently that Tehran has crossed all points of no return and already has its first nuclear weapon, and maybe more. Therefore, it seems as only a matter of time before this situation will escalate even further. Rest assured that we will keep you informed.
Relevant Bible Passages
As such tensions in the Middle East rise we are reminded that the Bible predicts at least one more major war as the current era of human history draws to a close. Many passages seem to indicate that this last war will involve nuclear weapons. The prophet Zechariah spoke of the damage the humans will experience in such a way that eerily parallels the damage caused by nuclear radiation (Zechariah 14:12). Similarly, Isaiah predicted the shaking of the planet and the earth being broken (Isaiah 24:19-20). Many believe that a major nuclear exchange would have the effect on the planet that Isaiah described. This type of damage was also predicted by the prophet Micah who foretold of mountains being melted like wax (Micah 1:3-4). Military experts have told me that it would only take 5 or 6 nuclear weapons to completely destroy the earth as we know it. Thus, with such arch enemies as Iran and Saudi Arabia seemingly drawing closer to the nuclear brink, we must be in serious prayer over this situation.
Pray: Pray that the world would realize the seriousness of these events and take action to turn the world away from its seemingly increasing march toward nuclear conflict.