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Will Iran war start a nuclear arms race in Middle East?

Deutsche Welle · · 1279 words · By Cathrin Schaer
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dw.com/en/iran-war-nuclear-weapons-race-saudi-arabia-turkey-united-a…

fact_checkFact-Check Results

16 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

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“There is little doubt that the nuclear threat in the Middle East has risen during the current conflict.”
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Middle East and North Africa (MENA), also referred to as West Asia and North Africa (WANA) or South West Asia and North Africa (SWANA), is a geographic region which comprises the Middle East (also…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_East_and_North_Africa
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of modern conflicts ensuing in the geographic and political region known as the Middle East. The "Middle East" is traditionally defined as the Fertile Crescent (Mesopotamia), Levant, an…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_modern_conflicts_in_th…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Middle East is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, the Levant, and Turkey. The term came into widespread usage by Western European nations in the early 20t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_East
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“During the war, which started in late February when the US and Israel attacked Iran, nuclear sites in both Iran and Israel have been targeted.”
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 28 February 2026, the United States and Israel started an armed conflict with surprise airstrikes on sites and cities across Iran, assassinating Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several other Irania…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Iran_war
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Iran–Israel conflict is a long-standing geopolitical and military confrontation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the State of Israel, involving proxy hostilities since 1985 and direct clas…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran–Israel_conflict
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Iran and Israel have not maintained a formal diplomatic relationship with each other since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Beginning in the mid-1980s, the Iran–Israel proxy conflict has grown to large…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran–Israel_relations
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“US President Donald Trump has said that the war on Iran was launched in order to prevent Iran getting a nuclear weapon.”
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Trump Always Chickens Out (TACO) is a term that gained prominence in May 2025 after many threats and reversals during the trade war U.S. president Donald Trump initiated with his administration's "Lib…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_Always_Chickens_Out
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Donald Trump's second and current tenure as the president of the United States began upon his inauguration as the 47th president on January 20, 2025. Trump, a Republican, previously served as the 45th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_presidency_of_Donald_Tr…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Donald Trump has been the target of multiple assassination attempts and death threats during his presidential campaigning and as president of the United States of America. The earliest known attempt o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_incidents_involving_D…
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“Ukraine provides an example of the opposite. In 1994, Ukraine agreed to give up what was then the third-largest nuclear arsenal in the world in exchange for security guarantees from Russia, the US and the UK.”
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“Iran was considered to be in a state known as 'nuclear weapons latency.'”
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“Iranian politicians said the country might withdraw from the landmark treaty that is meant to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.”
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“Saudi Arabia took the first steps toward possible nuclear latency last year. In the past Saudi Arabian ruler Mohammed bin Salman has said that if Iran produces a nuclear bomb, then Saudi Arabia would need to have one too.”
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“Saudi Arabia reportedly returned with an agreement on nuclear cooperation that would allow his country to enrich uranium.”
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“The 123 agreement will only require a bilateral safeguards agreement between the US and the Saudis.”
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“The UAE has a nuclear power plant, Barakah, and agreed to forgo uranium enrichment and reprocessing in its 2009 agreement with the US.”
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“The UAE's 2009 agreement includes an oral clause allowing renegotiation if a neighboring country has a more flexible agreement.”
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“The relaxed Saudi nuclear cooperation deal in 2025 is due to US competition with China and Russia as major nuclear suppliers.”
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“Egypt is building a nuclear reactor with Russia but faces financial difficulties, making a nuclear arms program unlikely.”
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“Turkey is developing a nuclear energy program with Russia and may soon cooperate with China.”
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“Turkey's NATO membership provides a defense umbrella, reducing the need for nuclear weapons.”
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“China and Russia are unlikely to actively assist states in developing nuclear weapons despite providing materials and technology under less stringent rules.”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.