King Abdullah II of Jordan claimed Israel is interfering in his country's efforts to develop nuclear power, according to a recent report in the Wall Street Journal. The king said in an interview that Israel's "underhanded" actions, including pressure on countries like South Korea and France not to sell nuclear technologies to Jordan, have helped bring Jordan-Israeli relations to their lowest point since their 1994 peace treaty. He added, "There are countries, Israel in particular, that are more worried about us being economically independent than the issue of nuclear energy."
Israel has denied the accusations. About 65,000 tons of uranium ore were discovered in the deserts outside Amman in 2007, and geologists are combing other parts of the country for additional deposits which could be marketed as is or used in proposed Jordanian plants for domestic and exported power.