Curated By: Shankhyaneel Sarkar
Last Updated: June 10, 2023, 11:57 IST
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends an Arab summit, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Image: Reuters)
Saudi Crown Prince MBS reportedly said he does not want to deal with the US administration anymore over alleged threats from Joe Biden.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman privately threatened the US of “major economic consequences” if US President Joe Biden retaliated against Saudi Arabia’s decision to slash oil production, the Washington Post said in a report.
US President Joe Biden last year promised unspecified “consequences” for Saudi Arabia after it cut oil production while the world was reeling from high energy prices, with the US and Europe suffering the most. The threat was made during that time, the Washington Post said citing a classified document.
“(I) will not deal with the US administration anymore,” the crown prince was quoted as saying according to the document. Another leaked document also revealed that Saudi Arabia plans to expand its “transactional relationship”.
The document from December 2022 said Saudi Arabia wants to procure drones, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and mass surveillance systems from Beijing.
The report pointed out that US President Biden did follow through with his threat. However, Saudi Arabia recently pledged to cut oil production by a further 1 million barrels per day starting in July.
The release of classified documents was linked to Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, who allegedly leaked a trove of Pentagon information earlier this year, Washington Post revealed.
The US National Security Council told the Washington Post that they were not aware of any such threats made by Saudi Arabia while pointing out that these documents “often represent only one snapshot of a moment in time”, failing to offer the full picture.
The official added that the US continues to collaborate with Saudi Arabia and considers it an important partner in the region and wants to advance mutual interest and a “common vision for a more secure, stable, and prosperous region, interconnected with the world”.
They also said that Saudi Arabia’s plans to develop a partnership with China was exaggerated and did not fruition.
The US has been pleading with the Saudi government to raise crude oil production costs since last year as rising fuel prices risk inflation. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman aka MBS earlier this week, weeks after US national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, made a trip to visit MBS.
