After Saudi Arabia decided last week to side with Vladimir Putin and restrict oil output, the Biden administration has stated that it is prepared to pursue fresh, severe sanctions against the country.
The move, according to observers, represented a significant retreat from the US president’s previous efforts to reach out to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, raising concerns about the viability of the US-Saudi security partnership
The president is willing to start having conversations with OPEC about the oil crisis, according to John Kirby, the strategic communications coordinator for the national Security Council.
Kirby advocated that Biden, among other things, speak to key Democrats on Capitol Hill who have been pressing the US to scale back its assistance to the monarchy in light of what was perceived as Bin Salman’s choice to support Russian interests over US ones. Just a few weeks remain until a pivotal midterm election that may or may not be decided by how much American motorists pay at the pump. Hence, the decision to reduce oil production.
Former CIA analyst and Saudi expert Bruce Riedel said the White House’s remarks represented a “dramatic reversal” and the US should pause the transfer of American warfare technology to the Saudis.
Many Democrats viewed the decision by the Opec+ oil cartel and its allies to reduce oil production in spite of the White House’s objections as a Saudi attempt to sway November’s midterm elections against Biden.
Despite the kingdom’s reliance on the US for security, it appears that Saudi Arabia has decided to abandon its US friends in favour of Russia.
Similar feelings were stated by Democratic lawmakers Richard Blumenthal and Ro Khanna in an opinion article for Politico, which also accused Saudi Arabia of hindering US efforts and promoting Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Blumenthal and Khanna said the bipartisan blowback to Saudi Arabia’s collusion with Russia was different this time, and that US troops should be withdrawn from Saudi Arabia.
Robert Menendez who chairs the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations suggested he did not support an outright ban on all support, but would block all arms sales and security cooperation.
Khalid Aljabri, whose father is an exiled senior Saudi intelligence official, said the “weaponisation” of oil would have a broader impact on the US-Saudi relationship.
