Prince Turki warns against Israeli raid on Iran

Prince Turki Al-Faisal, chairman of Saudi Arabia's King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, warned that any unilateral decision to launch a military attack aimed at halting Iran's nuclear programme could have hugely detrimental consequences. The Prince called for the creation of a nuclear-free Middle East while supporting a system based on rewards and sanctions to deter nations in the region with nuclear ambitions. Addressing academics and faculty members at the Faisal University in Riyadh on Monday, Prince Turki also warned that any attack on Iran would have huge consequences for the region and its adverse impact would be felt worldwide, the Arab news reported. He further urged for the denuclearisation of Israel, saying that a zone free of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) is the best way to get Israel on board and to force it to abandon nuclear programmes. "Such a zone must be accompanied by a rewards regime for those countries in the region that join the zone," he said and called for a "nuclear security umbrella" guaranteed by all the permanent members of the UN Security Council for the region. Replying to a question about the possibility of an attack on Iran to force it to roll back its nuclear programme and the impact of such an action, Prince Turki said the impact would be "calamitous…cataclysmic, not just catastrophic." He said Iran's nuclear programme was being singled out, while Israel was being given a clean chit. Any unilateral decision to launch a military attack aimed at halting Iran's nuclear programme could have huge consequences, he warned.