US Official Warns of New Nuclear Powers Emerging in 5-10 Years

In an interview with ANI on Thursday, Finer said changing global security dynamics and declining confidence in traditional security arrangements could encourage several countries to pursue nuclear capabilities.

"Well, to be honest, I think it began long before this crisis. But this conflict will further drive home the point exactly what you made, that many countries have decided they don't need nuclear weapons because they are content to live under what we call the United States nuclear umbrella," he said.

Finer explained that if countries begin to doubt Washington's commitment to protecting allies, the situation could change rapidly.

"The more the United States demonstrates less commitment to defending partners and allies around the world, the more countries that feel under threat, and by the way, those countries are likely to be in the Middle East, in Asia, in Europe, will believe they need some sort of additional protection, whether it's living under another country's nuclear umbrella," he said.

He noted that alternative security arrangements are already being discussed.

"France is now offering to extend its nuclear umbrella further than it has before, or to obtain these weapons themselves, as a whole host of countries are contemplating. I think sometime over the next five or 10 years, you are likely to see the emergence of new nuclear powers because of these dynamics," he said.

Responding to a question about reports of Pakistan potentially providing nuclear support to Saudi Arabia, Finer said such possibilities had been discussed in the past.

"That is something that has been widely reported to have been contemplated in the past. You know, we'll see," he said.

When asked about the security partnership between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, he said nuclear cooperation had not been explicitly ruled out.

"Look, I don't think they took nuclear out of that partnership explicitly. Yeah. But, you know, at this point, I think the main driver of Saudi Arabia's desire to potentially someday have a nuclear weapon was whether Iran would obtain a nuclear weapon," he said.

Finer also spoke about developments related to Iran's nuclear programme.

"It does look like, for the time being, very unlikely in the near term that Iran is going to be able to obtain a nuclear weapon, just given the condition of its nuclear program and its military. Should Iran go back down the nuclear path, which, by the way, you could argue, would be rational for them to do? Countries that have nuclear weapons do not tend to be attacked in the way that Iran has been attacked over the last year. I think Saudi Arabia would very seriously look at nuclear weapons in that situation," he said.

Speaking about Pakistan's missile programme, Finer reiterated concerns he had previously raised while in government.

"Yeah, I mean, I said when I was in the government that Pakistan was developing an ICBM program that could ultimately reach the United States," he said.

"By the way, not a totally different concern than the one that the current Trump administration is expressing about Iran, which is also in the process of developing a long-range missile program and has been for some years," he added.

However, he noted that the programme may still take years to materialise.

"But my understanding, you know, I'm not subject to or privy to all the intelligence here, my understanding is that program is still a number of years from being successfully completed, if it's ever successfully completed," he said.

- ANI