According to Mehr News Agency (Iran’s semi-official news agency), Iran is “ready” to cooperate with Saudi Arabia in the nuclear field. In a tremendously underreported development, Mohammad Eslami, the chairman of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI) held talks with Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Iran, Abdullah bin Saud Al-Anazi, on the sidelines of the 1st International Conference on Nuclear Science and Technology and the 30th National Nuclear Conference in Isfahan on May 6 – and the possibility of such nuclear cooperation was discussed.

Earlier this year, in January, the Saudi Ambassador, Al-Anazi, had urged expanding scientific ties between the two countries. Journalist Sabir Hussain, writing for The Express Tribune even sees this as a “lesson” for Pakistan and India, arguing that “if former adversaries like Iran and Saudi Arabia can embark on a path of nuclear cooperation, why not consider a similar trajectory for nuclear rivals Pakistan and India?”

It is of course too soon to talk about such potential cooperation as a done deal, but Mohammad Eslami’ statement is remarkable itself – especially considering that in 2018 Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was claiming that if Iran acquired the nuclear bomb, Saudi Arabia would “have to get one” as well – a threat repeated as early as September 2023. To fully grasp it, some context is........

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