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The president of the United States, Joe Biden, promised that “there will be consequences” for his administration’s relations with Saudi Arabia, after the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC +) announced last week that it would reduce its crude production target. despite opposition from the West. Biden has not revealed the options on the table, but from the Senate they ask that Washington immediately freeze cooperation with Riyadh, including arms sales.
Washington accuses Saudi Arabia of siding with the Kremlin and a new frontal clash opens in the midst of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
US President Joe Biden examines a response to Riyadh, after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC+), which includes Moscow, announced a decision to cut crude output.
“There are going to be some consequences for what they have done with Russia,” Biden warned in an interview on Tuesday, September 11.
A statement that demonstrates the abandonment of recent US attempts to seek rapprochement with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and casts doubt on the future of the US-Saudi security relationship.
Although the US government has not revealed the options it has on the table, the influential Democratic senator, Bob Menéndez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, argued that his country must immediately freeze all cooperation with Riyadh, including arms sales. .
Menéndez accused the Saudi monarch of helping “finance Putin’s war through OPEC+. “There is simply no room to play on both sides of this conflict (…) I will not give the green light to any cooperation with Riyadh until the kingdom reassesses its position regarding the war in Ukraine. Enough is enough,” he remarked.
For her part, the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, assured that a review of the policy would be carried out with her traditional ally “during the coming weeks and months.”
The announced measure represents a new challenge for the Joe Biden Administration ahead of the mid-term elections on November 8.
Amid the high costs of energy and inflation after the sanctions on Moscow and their respective economic consequences for the world, this issue could tip the balance among the electorate in the crucial elections that renew part of the US Congress.
Saudi Arabia Justifies Oil Reduction Announcement
Riyadh aims to stick to his decision. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan pointed out that OPEC’s decision was strictly economic and was taken unanimously by the member states.
“OPEC+ members acted responsibly and made the right decision,” Prince Faisal told Al Arabiya television.
But Washington insists on pointing out that Saudi Arabia is thus bowing to Russia, after opposing the ceiling on the price of Russian oil that the West asks for in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
The move by OPEC+ and its allies deals a heavy blow to the United States, undermining its attempts to reduce Russian revenues and threatening a rise in gasoline prices weeks before the legislative elections.
“I think the pressure within the Democratic Party is enormous. The Administration will have to take some step like reducing US forces. The media and constituents who matter to the Democrats are demanding steps,” said former CIA analyst and Saudi Arabia expert Bruce Riedel.
The Saudis’ decision to turn their backs on their US allies in favor of Russia comes despite their dependence on the US on security matters, given the threat from Iran in the region.
“The Saudi decision was a blow, but the US also has a way to respond: It can quickly stop the massive transfer of US war technology into the eager hands of the Saudis,” they wrote, in an op-ed for the media outlet ‘Politico’, Democratic Senator, Richard Blumenthal, and Representative, Ro Khanna.
Experts stress that the current scenario can become a decisive moment that forces a change in relations between Washington and Riyadh.
With Reuters and AP
