Israel undermining Jordan efforts on nukes

Israel has been pressuring other countries not to sell nuclear technology to Jordan, King Abdullah told The Wall Street Journal.

In the interview published Tuesday, Abdullah charged that Israel has been pressuring countries such as South Korea and France, calling the actions "underhanded." He said the actions have contributed to bringing relations between Jordan and Israel to their lowest point since the 1994 peace agreement.

"There are countries, Israel in particular, that are more worried about us being economically independent than the issue of nuclear energy, and have been voicing their concerns," King Abdullah told the newspaper. "There are many such reactors in the world and a lot more coming, so [the Israelis must] go mind their own business."

Israel denied that it is trying to undermine Jordan's efforts toward obtaining nuclear technology, the newspaper reported.

The United States is demanding that Jordan not produce its own nuclear fuel, according to the Journal, despite the fact that it has that right as a signatory to the United Nations' Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty.

Jordan reportedly is eager to establish a nuclear program since it is 95 percent dependent on imported oil, according to the newspaper. In 2007, Jordan discovered at least 65,000 tons of uranium ore near Amman.