MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

If true, does this mean that the Saudis are beginning to prepare for a possible war with Iran and Iran’s allies, or something else?

“A security source in Saudi Arabia said Monday that the oil-rich Gulf state would be buying 200 state-of-the-art Leopard tanks from Germany in a deal that has caused a political row in Germany.

‘So far, Saudi has bought 44 tanks from Germany and in total wants to buy 200 tanks from Germany,’ a security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Reuters news agency.

The source declined to give a value for the purchase, saying it was a multi-billion euro deal involving the German companies Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall.

The purchase follows a $93 billion stimulus package from Saudi King Abdullah that included extra support for police and security forces. The March handout was a response to unrest sweeping through the Arab world.” Read more. (Thanks Kurt J. for the link).

Saudi Arabia: Riyadh Will Build Nuclear Weapons if Iran Gets Them, Saudi Prince Warns – “A senior Saudi Arabian diplomat and member of the ruling royal family has raised the spectre of nuclear conflict in the Middle East if Iran comes close to developing a nuclear weapon. Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former Saudi intelligence chief and ambassador to Washington, warned senior Nato military officials that the existence of such a device ‘would compel Saudi Arabia … to pursue policies which could lead to untold and possibly dramatic consequences’.” Read more.

The Gulf Cooperation Council is expanding its army, but for what? – “A proposal to boost the Peninsula Shield, the Gulf Cooperation Council’s combined military force, has been approved by its six member states, and could increase to include 100,000 troops before the end of the year, the director of a government linked think-tank in Kuwait has told Al Jazeera. The Peninsula Shield currently consists of about 40,000 troops and has its permanent base in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. The proposed expansion would be a huge boost from the previous force’s incarnation, whose numbers fluctuated between 5-10,000 troops during its existence.” Read more.

Turkey to Double Size of Its Army – “Now there are strong indicators in the Turkish media that Turkey is planning on literally doubling the size of its army – this coming from the nation that already has the largest army in Middle East and the second-largest army in NATO, second only to the United States. Presently, Turkey’s army has over 500,000 troops.” Read more.

Flashback: Growing ties between Turkey, China, Iran worry Israel and U.S. – “The United States and Israel are watching with concern the growing military cooperation among Turkey, China and Iran, especially following a joint Turkish-Chinese air-force exercise last week… The Obama administration protested Turkey’s military cooperation with Iran after it was reported that the Chinese fighter planes were sent to Turkey via Pakistan and Iran. The developing ties among Turkey, Iran and China are also reflected in weapons deals, with Iran buying from China mainly missile technology.” Read more.