I tend to think that both the Jordanians and Israelis are exceptionally concerned by Iranian nuclear ambitions.
Before Iran is allowed to dominate the region the Israelis and Jordanians will work in concert to neutralize the threat posed by the Iranians.
There exists precedent for such cooperative action.
On 21 March 1968 the IDF with the express permission of King Hussein of Jordan launched operations against the PLO based at Al-Karameh.
Two years later in September of 1970 with the aid of the Jordanian Army, IDF, the Israeli Air Force and the United States Navy succeeded forcing the Syrian and Iraqi Army armored brigades that sought to reinforce the PLO forces waging war against the Jordanian government at the time to withdraw forcing the PLO to retreat into Lebanon.
It seems likely that Iranian intransigence over its nuclear program could foster the same sort of cooperation that I outlined above. I would also assert that it is likely that if a moderate Sunni nation such as Jordan developed a nuclear program especially with Israeli and American aid it could serve as a powerful deterent to Iran and the Wahabi of Saudi Arabia.
Further the United States government has given its blessing to the proposed Jordanian program according to the
Jordan Times
AMMAN (JT) — The US State Department indicated that it had no
objection to a plan by Jordan to develop a nuclear programme for peaceful
purposes, the Associated Press reported.
Deputy spokesman Tom Casey, without
mentioning Jordan by name, said every country that adheres strictly to the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) "has the right to develop civilian
nuclear power for the benefit of their people”. Casey commented Friday in
response to an announcement by King Abdullah Jordan was “actually looking at
nuclear power for peaceful and energy purposes”. “We've been discussing it with
the West. I personally believe that any country that has a nuclear programme
should conform to international regulations and should have international
regulatory bodies that check to make sure that any nuclear programme moves in
the right direction,” the King told Akiva Eldar of Israel’s Haaretz newspaper on
Friday.
“…The rules have changed on the nuclear subject throughout the whole
region. Everybody's going for nuclear programmes. The Egyptians are looking for
a nuclear programme. The GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,
UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman] are looking at one….” The US offered to help Egypt
with nuclear technology after President Hosni Mubarak announced his country
would revive plans for a nuclear programme, shelved in the aftermath of the 1986
accident at the Soviet nuclear plant in Chernobyl, according to the AP. Two
months later, the leaders of the oil-rich GCC said they would consider starting
a joint nuclear programme for peaceful purposes. Some Arab countries complained
for years over Israel's nuclear programme and alleged arsenal, but it never
prompted them to seek programmes of their own. Israel is believed to have an
arsenal of several hundred warheads, though it has never officially confirmed
it. Arabs repeatedly called for its weapons to be eliminated.
Asked if he was
saying that he expected Israel to join the NPT, the Monarch said: “What's
expected from us should be a standard across-the-board. We want to make sure
this is used for energy. What we don't want is an arms race to come out of this.
As we become part of an international body and its international regulations are
accepted by all of us, then we become a united front.”
The Islamic Action
Front, Jordan’s largest opposition group, on Saturday backed King Abdullah’s
plan, according to an IAF official.
“The IAF highly appreciates King
Abdullah's call for having a nuclear programme because this issue is a question
of national consensus,” IAF spokesperson Rahil Gharaibeh said in a statement.
“All Arab countries should be interested in the possession of this technology
because the foe number one of the Arab and Muslim world already owns this
technology, including its military branch which it uses to threaten our security
and stability.”
The AP quoted analysts as saying that Iran's progress in
building its nuclear facilities sparked a rush among some Arab countries to look
at programmes of their own, raising the possibility of a dangerous proliferation
of nuclear technology — or even weapons — in the volatile region.
Some Sunni Arabs already expressed concern over Iranian influence in Iraq and Lebanon. Now they fear that the mainly Shiite Persian nation could develop warheads to back
its growing power in the Middle East, the AP said.
The US, its allies and Security Council sanctions imposed last month failed to dissuade Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from halting atomic plans, which Tehran say are
peaceful. Any significant Arab nuclear programme is likely years away, and
some observers are sceptical that cash-strapped countries have the resources for
powerful facilities. But simply announcing the intention could be meant as a
signal to Iran that its ties to Arab nations will suffer over its nuclear drive
— and to the United States that its Arab allies are concerned. http://www.jordantimes.com/sun/homenews/homenews1.htm
The presence of facilities at Inshas, and Al-Dabah, and Dimona in Israel, as well as the proposed facility in Jordan should be sufficient to deter Iran or Syria from taking or making any provocative actions that could result in a detirioration of the situation in the Middle East.
