Saudi Arabia will not stop building or acquiring nuclear weapons, the country's ambassador to the United Stated said.
CNN News asked the Arabian ambassador Adel Al-Jubeir whether Saudi Arabia would ever build nulear weapons, he said that the subject is not for them to discuss publicly. "This is not something that I can comment on, nor would I comment on," he added.
The discretion of the ambassador in ruling out a military nuclear programme may rekindle the concerns that the autocratic monarchy has its eye on a nuclear arsenal.
The Independent reports that the Western intelligence agencies suppose that the Saudi monarchy funded about 60% of Pakistan's nuclear programme in return for the ability to purchase warheads for itself at short notice.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia maintain close relations and sometimes said to have a special relationship. At present, the two countries have close military ties and conduct joint exercises.
The Saudi Arabian administration already possesses medium-range ballistic missiles as well in the form of the Royal Saudi Strategic Missile Force. In addition to this, it has a civilian nuclear programme of the kind that Iran says it wants to obtain.
A senior Saudi told the Times newspaper in 2012 that it would be completely politically unacceptable to have Iran with a nuclear capability and not the kingdom.
A deal with Iran on its nuclear programme is possible, according to the US and other Western allies. However, Iran denies that it is building nuclear weapons.
At present, Saudi's military operation against the moving Shia Houthi group in Yemen has been joined by Egyptian, Jordanian, as well as Moroccan forces.