(Daily Mail), 15 March 2018 - Saudi Arabia will rapidly acquire a nuclear weapon if arch-rival Iran develops one, the country’s Crown Prince has warned.   

Mohammed bin Salman said the Saudis ‘do not want’ nukes but would be forced to develop them should their Shia counterparts acquire them first.   

‘Saudi Arabia does not want to acquire any nuclear bomb, but without a doubt if Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible,’ Salman told CBS in an interview that will air on Sunday.   

The comment came after he was asked about remarks in which he described Khamenei as ‘the new Hitler of the Middle East’.   

Salman said he stood by the remark, adding: ‘[Khamenei] wants to expand.   

Saudi Arabia is already stepping up plans to develop nuclear energy as part of reforms being led by Salman that aim to end the region’s dependence on oil.