Saudi uranium find, Iran pressure, and a regional squeeze
Riyadh's 110-million-ton ore discovery reshapes nuclear calculus as Houthi and Iranian threats converge.
Saudi uranium find, Iran pressure, and a regional squeeze — Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman revealed a discovery of approximately 110 million tons of ore containing uranium and rare metals in the Al-Madinah region at the annual International Atomic Energy Agency conference in Vienna.[^1] The announcement lands at a moment when Riyadh is caught between its need for security and energy exports and Iran's strategic pressure from three directions: the Houthis, Iraqi militias, and the Strait of Hormuz.[^2] An Iranian minister landed in Saudi Arabia hours after an unusual Houthi attack, according to c14.[^3] The Houthis fired at Mecca, and Saudi Arabia's "Mecca Alliance" with Erdogan appears to do little, ynet reports.[^4] Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is seeking an Arab force to replace UNIFIL in southern Lebanon, but President al-Sisi fears a 'military adventure' in Yemen that could drag the Egyptian army into a complex, distant conflict. The uranium discovery gives Saudi Arabia a domestic resource for its nuclear program, which it has long said it wants for civilian purposes. But the simultaneous pressure from Iran and its proxies, and the difficulty of securing a regional security framework, means Riyadh's nuclear ambitions will be watched closely by both Washington and Tehran.[^1][^2] The question is whether the find strengthens Saudi leverage or forces it into a faster diplomatic track with Iran. Right-wing fragmentation and disqualification bids roil Israeli election race — At a party conference in Rishon LeZion tonight, Brig. Gen. (res.) Ofer Winter, a leader of the "Amcha Yisrael" party, launched a blistering attack on Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman and Democratic Party chairman Yair Golan. "He is misleading his voters," Winter said of Lieberman, adding that "whoever relies on senior partners like Yair Golan in the government cannot decide." Winter warned that if his party is not strong, "we will see the smug face of Yair Golan." The attack comes as Winter's party polls at 2.3%, below the electoral threshold, with 75% of its voters drawn from the right-wing bloc — mainly from Likud, Otzma Yehudit, and Religious Zionism, according t