Saudi Arabia’s first nuclear site is close to completion, according to Google Earth images of the site cited Wednesday by Bloomberg News. The move has concerned international experts, who say that the kingdom has not yet signed on to international protocols that would ensure the facility is not used for military purposes. “There’s a very high probability these images show the country’s first nuclear facility,” Robert Kelley, the former head of the U.S. Department of Energy’s remote sensing laboratory, told Bloomberg. “It means that Saudi Arabia has to get its safeguards in order.” It’s not yet clear what kind of monitoring standards the nation will implement—but just last year, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced that the country would work to develop a nuclear weapon if its rival, Iran, did the same.
