US reassesss relationship with Saudi Arabia after OPEC+ sets oil production cut

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If three months ago he was criticized for visiting Saudi Arabia, now US President Joe Biden is showing signs that the relationship with the Middle Eastern country may be in jeopardy. The White House said on Tuesday (11) that Washington should review the relationship with Riyadh, but did not set a date for that.

The reason is the cut in oil production announced by OPEC+ last week. The news created fears that a potential US fuel price hike could hurt Democrats in the midterms, midterm elections set for November.

Biden has already been the target of pressure from coreligionists. Senator Bob Menendez, chairman of the Foreign Relations Commission, defended on Monday (10) that relations with Saudi Arabia be frozen, including arms sales, and accused Riyadh of cooperating with Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

The country is another member of OPEC+ and, in the midst of the Ukraine War, has been accused of promoting an energy war against Europe by reducing the volume of natural gas exported to several nations on the continent through the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline.

“As chairman of the Foreign Affairs Commission, I will not give the green light to any cooperation with Riyadh until the Saudis reassess their position on the war,” Menendez said.

In the same vein, Democratic Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois told CNN that Saudi Arabia “clearly wanted Russia to win the war.” “Let’s be very honest about this: it’s Putin and Saudi Arabia against the US,” he said. Earlier, the White House called the court’s decision “shortsighted.”

“The president has made it very clear that this is a relationship that we are willing to review,” said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. According to him, Biden plans to start talks with Congress to review the degree of bilateral relationship.

Foreign policy veterans have warned against what they characterize as drastic actions. Former US ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk, now a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, said the country should seek a new strategic pact with Saudi Arabia, not a divorce.

“We need more responsible Saudi leadership when it comes to oil production, but they need a more credible understanding of US security to deal with the threats they face; the two must take a step back,” he told The New. York Times.

The announcement of a production cut by OPEC+ — made up of the 13 members of the traditional OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) plus ten other partners led by Russia — was seen as a bucket of cold water for Biden’s diplomatic policy.

In July, he was in Saudi Arabia and met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the newly appointed prime minister. The trip came after the Democrat called the country a pariah and criticized human rights violations committed by the government.

The American claims to have questioned the Saudi about one of the most notable cases: the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who wrote for the American newspaper Washington Post, in 2018. MbS, as the now premier is known, is accused of being involved in the crime. The weighting, however, was not enough to assuage criticism.

U.S.-Saudi Arabia ties were strengthened after World War II, giving the Middle Eastern country military protection in exchange for American access to oil. The strategic relationship was strengthened by Biden’s predecessor, Republican Donald Trump, who boosted US arms exports to the country.

The closeness was also intensified by Biden. In August, the State Department announced the purchase by Saudi Arabia of 300 Patriot MIM-104 missile systems, which are capable of shooting down ballistic missiles as well as attack aircraft.

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