Israel Matzav

Good news: US to help Jordan go nuclear

Well, isn't this just the perfect solution to confronting a nuclear Iran? Just let Jordan go nuclear too (along with Egypt, Saudi Arabia and several other countries in the region). And once Israel is surrounded by nuclear powers on all sides... then what? That, apparently, is the Obama administration's strategy for dealing with a nuclear Iran rather than confronting the Ahmadinejad regime.

An accord with King Abdullah II's government in Amman would allow U.S. firms to transfer nuclear equipment, fuel and expertise to Jordan, which is one of only two Arab countries to have signed a peace agreement with Israel.

President Barack Obama has pledged to assist developing nations in pursuing civilian nuclear-power programs in exchange for guarantees they won't seek to produce atomic bombs.

U.S. officials cite the cooperation agreement signed with the U.A.E. last year as a model for the peaceful development of nuclear power. Under the deal, Abu Dhabi provided assurances it won't seek to enrich uranium on its soil. The technologies required to process uranium ore into nuclear fuel also can be used to produce weapons-grade materials.

A potential stumbling block in the Jordan-U.S. deliberations, according to participants, is whether Amman will follow the U.A.E.'s lead and provide guarantees that it won't enrich uranium domestically. The U.A.E., under the terms of its pact with Washington, could demand a renegotiation if another Middle Eastern country secures a nuclear-cooperation agreement with the U.S. under terms more favorable than Abu Dhabi's.

Jordan's agreement could face hurdles in Congress if Amman doesn't approve a zero-enrichment clause. "If Jordan wants to enrich … then the U.A.E. would also have the right to renegotiate," said a congressional aide working on nuclear issues. "This situation threatens to touch off a lot of regional tension, and we would oppose."

And what if they agree not to enrich uranium, as Iran did under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and then violate that commitment as Iran has done? What will you do then? Call on Israel to give up some more of its heartland to the 'Palestinians'? And what if Jordan is invaded by one of its neighbors and its nuclear capability falls into the hands of - for example - Bashar al-Assad's Syria? What could go wrong?

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 5:37 PM