Medina has 110 million tonne of uranium ore, says Saudi Arabia amid Middle East chaos

Saudi Arabia's energy minister announced that the kingdom had discovered 110 million tonne of uranium-rich ore and other rare earth minerals in the Medina region.

Saudi Arabia has discovered 110 million tonnes of raw materials containing uranium concentrations and other rare earths in Medina, news outlets reported on Monday, quoting the kingdom's Energy Minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman.

"Exploration and geological studies at the Jabal Sayid project in Madinah (Medina) have revealed estimated resources of around 110 million tonnes of ore with high concentrations of rare earth minerals, especially the heavy elements, alongside promising concentrations of uranium," Arab News reported bin Salman as saying.

The announcement of the uranium discovery comes at a critical time for the Arab kingdom, which houses two of Islam's holiest sites, Mecca and Medina. Prophet Muhammad migrated from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE and the latter became the foundational home of Islam.

Saudi Arabia has been targeted by Iran for housing American bases and a resurgent Houthi militia in Yemen has choked its maritime access to the Red Sea.

The war in the Middle East started because the US and Israel wanted to thwart Iran's nuclear programme that they say was for weapons of mass destruction. Tehran claims its nuclear programme is intended for peaceful civilian purposes.

Saudi Arabia, a Sunni power centre, has tried to balance out a Shia Iran.

URANIUM DISCOVERY AT MEDINA COMES AMID ATTEMPTS AT ENERGY DIVERSIFICATION

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the biggest Arab economy, has also continued to invest in diversifying its energy and mineral resources. It has also pursued domestic uranium extraction and civilian nuclear power as part of its Vision 2030 energy-diversification drive.

The discovery of natural ore with a concentration of uranium is significant, as it follows a US-Saudi deal to develop a civilian nuclear programme in the kingdom. The countries in July signed the pact alongside a bilateral protection agreement, which lays the foundation for what was described as a "decades-long, multibillion-dollar partnership".

The deal, which would see US companies help develop the kingdom's civilian nuclear energy programme, also gives Riyadh the option to enrich uranium on its own soil without American oversight.

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