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<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">Arab League chief exposes
secret US deal shielding 'Israel\u2019s' nukes</h1>
<div class="gmail-credits gmail-reader-credits">Al Mayadeen
English</div>
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<div class="gmail-reader-estimated-time">October 27, 2025</div>
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<p>Aboul Gheit accuses Washington of misleading Arab
states on nuclear disarmament, revealing a secret
US-Israeli pact shields Tel Aviv's undeclared nuclear
arsenal.</p>
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<a
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tabindex="0" moz-do-not-send="true"><img
src="https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2025/10/27/a67f95b0-8fa4-4fa9-9e7d-77d0ce731dc5.jpeg?v=4&width=1000&preset=w700"
alt="Arab League chief exposes secret US deal shielding 'Israel\u2019s' nukes"
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This satellite photo provided by Planet Labs PBC
shows the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research
Center near the city of Dimona, occupied
Palestine, July 5, 2025. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)
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<p>Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit has
revealed what he described as a \u201csecret agreement\u201d
between the United States and \u201cIsrael,\u201d under which
Washington pledged to remain silent about <a
href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/us-declassifies-explosive-documents-on--israel-s--nuclear-ar"
target="_blank" rel="noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true">\u201cIsrael\u2019s\u201d nuclear arsenal</a>
in exchange for its permanent secrecy.</p>
<p>In a televised interview with Egypt\u2019s <em>Sada
El-Balad</em> channel, Aboul Gheit explained that
\u201cthe agreement stipulates that Israel pledges never to
speak, no matter how many centuries pass, about its
nuclear arsenal, while America, in turn, promises to
remain silent.\u201d</p>
<p>The Arab League chief accused Washington of deceiving
Arab nations, recalling meetings in Cairo and
Washington where US officials urged Egypt to ratify
the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in return
for US pressure on \u201cIsrael\u201d to follow suit. \u201cEgypt
refused,\u201d he said, noting that such pressure \u201cnever
materialized.\u201d</p>
<h2>US protects Israeli nuclear weapons</h2>
<p>Aboul Gheit attributed the global silence surrounding
\u201cIsrael\u2019s\u201d undeclared nuclear weapons to US
protection, describing \u201cIsrael\u201d as being \u201cshielded by
the dominant military-political pole that has ruled
the world since the Soviet Union\u2019s collapse in 1990.\u201d</p>
<p>The former Egyptian foreign minister further
explained that Cairo has deliberately refrained from
ratifying conventions on chemical or biological
weapons, emphasizing that it \u201csaw no need for a
nuclear deterrent\u201d because \u201cits drawbacks far outweigh
any potential benefit.\u201d</p>
<p>He added that Egyptian diplomacy has consistently
advocated for a Middle East free of weapons of mass
destruction, asserting that international inspections
of \u201cIsrael\u2019s\u201d nuclear facilities could become
\u201cinevitable".</p>
<p>Aboul Gheit concluded by warning that such
developments could trigger a regional existential
crisis, compelling Washington to reconsider its
long-standing protection of \u201cIsrael,\u201d noting that
\u201cIsrael couldn\u2019t even use its nuclear weapons during
the 1973 war.\u201d</p>
<h2>Dimona facility gets upgrade: Is 'Israel' hiking its
nuclear program?</h2>
<p>Satellite imagery has revealed <a
href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/dimona-facility-gets-upgrade--is--israel--hiking-its-nuclear"
target="_blank" rel="noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true">intensified construction work</a>
at the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center, a
site long believed to be central to "Israel's"
clandestine nuclear weapons program. The facility,
located near the city of Dimona in the Negev desert,
is drawing renewed international attention amid signs
that "Israel" may be advancing its nuclear
capabilities,<span> as </span><em>The Independent</em><span> </span>had
speculated in September.</p>
<p>The latest images, captured on July 5 by<span> </span><em>Planet
Labs PBC</em>, show expanded activity at the site,
including what appears to be a deep underground
facility with multiple levels. Thick concrete
retaining walls and large cranes are visible,
indicating major development at a previously excavated
area. Analysts suggest that this could signal the
construction of a new heavy water reactor or<span> </span><a
href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/tehran-unravels-documents-revealing-secret-iaea--israel--col"
target="_blank" rel="noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true">possibly a facility for
assembling nuclear warheads</a>.</p>
<p>This comes after earlier satellite images in 2021
showed the initial stages of digging, a rectangular
hole approximately 150 meters long and 60 meters wide,
near the site\u2019s original heavy water reactor.</p>
<p>According to the report, seven nuclear experts who
reviewed the satellite imagery agreed that the
construction is likely connected to<span> </span><a
href="https://english.almayadeen.net/in-pictures/-israel-s--nuclear-arsenal--off-the-record--global-double-st"
target="_blank" rel="noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true">"Israel's" long-suspected
nuclear weapons program</a>. Three of them suggested
the size and structure of the construction area
indicate it is most likely a new heavy water reactor.
These reactors are capable of producing plutonium, a
key ingredient in nuclear weapons.</p>
<p>The remaining four experts also acknowledged the
possibility of a reactor but proposed that the
construction could involve a nuclear warhead assembly
facility, though they noted the project is still in
its early stages and definitive conclusions are
premature.</p>
<p>\u201cIt\u2019s probably a reactor \u2014 that judgment is
circumstantial, but that\u2019s the nature of these
things,\u201d said Jeffrey Lewis of the James Martin Center
for Nonproliferation Studies. \u201cIt\u2019s very hard to
imagine it is anything else.\u201d</p>
<h2>Lack of international oversight fuels speculation</h2>
<p>"Israel" maintains a policy of nuclear ambiguity,
neither confirming nor denying the possession of
nuclear weapons. The occupation entity has never
signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT),
making it one of only four countries outside the
agreement. As a result, the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) has no authority to inspect the
Dimona facility, aside from the separate Soreq
research reactor.</p>
<p>The IAEA, when asked about the construction,
reiterated that "Israel" is not obligated to provide
details about any nuclear facilities other than Soreq.</p>
<p>\u201cIsrael doesn\u2019t allow any international inspections
or verification of what it\u2019s doing, which forces the
public to speculate,\u201d said Lyman.</p>
<h2>'Israel's' nuclear ambiguity, regional impact</h2>
<p>The facility at Dimona was first built in the late
1950s, following multiple wars with neighboring Arab
states after the establishment of "Israel" in 1948.
Since then, the program has remained shrouded in
secrecy. In the 1980s, whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu
exposed photos and details from inside the site,
leading international experts to estimate that<span> </span><a
href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/-israel--owns-90-nuclear-warheads--ican"
target="_blank" rel="noopener"
moz-do-not-send="true">"Israel" possesses dozens of
nuclear warheads</a>.</p>
<p>The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists estimated in 2022
that "Israel" holds around 90 nuclear warheads. It is
believed to rely primarily on heavy water reactors for
plutonium production, similar to India and Pakistan.</p>
<p>This development comes shortly after joint US-Israeli
airstrikes in June targeted nuclear facilities across
Iran, including the heavy water reactor at Arak,
citing concerns over Tehran\u2019s potential nuclear
ambitions. </p>
<p>With no international oversight and little
transparency, the expanded construction at the Dimona
nuclear facility deepens existing concerns about the
nature and scale of "Israel\u2019s" nuclear arsenal, and
what its continued growth may mean for regional and
global stability.</p>
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