Saudi Arabia appears to be expanding its ballistic missile manufacturing capabilities to produce larger, more powerful weapons, a development that could strengthen its ability to strike targets across the region and intensify concerns over a potential nuclear arms race involving Iran.
The nuclear issue has gained fresh attention following the US-Saudi nuclear cooperation agreement announced on July 22. Reuters reported that the deal would allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium and reprocess nuclear waste, but would not require it to adopt the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Additional Protocol, which gives inspectors broader powers to investigate potential undeclared nuclear activities.
Which cited an analysis of satellite imagery by US researchers, construction at a missile complex west of Riyadh points to a possible expansion of solid-fuel missile production, according to Reuters report. The researchers said the new facility could accommodate larger missile motors, potentially enabling the production of weapons with greater range or heavier payloads.
The suspected expansion is centred on a ballistic missile complex at Al-Dawadmi, about 200 km west of Riyadh. Researchers Sam Lair and Michael Duitsman of the Foreign Policy Research Institute analysed commercial satellite images captured between April 2025 and September 2026, identifying a new building that appears to contain casting pits used to manufacture solid-fuel missile motors. The researchers said the complex could begin producing missiles by the end of 2026, depending on the installation of equipment. The suspected missile programme could involve the DF-15 or a longer-range system similar to China’s DF-21, although the precise missile type being manufactured at the expanded facility remains unconfirmed, according to Reuters. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had said in a 2018 interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes that Saudi Arabia would develop nuclear weapons if Iran acquired them. Reuters’ July 22 report on the US-Saudi civilian nuclear agreement also noted that the crown prince’s statement has contributed to longstanding proliferation concerns surrounding the kingdom’s nuclear ambitions.
The expansion of Saudi Arabia’s ballistic missile programme is raising questions about the risk of a nuclear arms race with Iran, as Riyadh pursues a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with Washington that would allow it to enrich uranium.