![\"GCC](\"http:\/\/static.businessinsider.com\/image\/4bce10c67f8b9a9043b10400\/gcc-iran.jpg\")
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The government of Saudi Arabia has announced a new section of its capital Riyadh is set to be powered solely by nuclear energy<\/a>. This will be the first nuclear power plant<\/a> in the Gulf states, and the first in the broader Middle East.<\/p>\n If the U.S. government backs Saudi Arabia’s bid to build a reactor, they’ll be creating the potential for nuclear growth within the GCC<\/a>, or Gulf Cooperation Council, whose members include Saudi Arabia, Qatar<\/a>, Kuwait<\/a>, Bahrain<\/a>, the UAE<\/a>, and Oman<\/a>.<\/p>\n All of those states are also reviewing the possibility of producing nuclear fuel, so they can export more oil and gas to foreign markets.<\/p>\n The GCC is largely allied with the United States and their key security issue<\/a> is Iran’s rise in power across the Persian Gulf.<\/p>\n The U.S. must be concerned that by allowing oil-rich ally Saudi Arabia to invest in nuclear technology, it will be further escalating its conflict with Iran.<\/p>\n The talk of a double standard in terms of peaceful nuclear energy in the Middle East will have further credence if the U.S. allows a Gulf state to make the move to nuclear.<\/p>\n