Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud last fall threatened to sever relations with the United States and take harsh economic measures in response to President Joe Biden's remarks about the consequences of the kingdom's decision to cut oil production. That was reported Thursday by The Washington Post, which found the information in classified US documents leaked to social media.
They note that the crown prince made such threats in a private conversation after a statement by the US leader amid high energy prices. Mohammed bin Salman, following Biden's words, promised to fundamentally change US-Saudi relations and force the United States to pay significant economic costs if it took actions against the kingdom. The crown prince said he would "no longer deal with the US administration," threatening "Washington with major economic consequences" in such a case, the newspaper cited classified documents.
The publication recalled that now, eight months later, Biden has still not taken any action against Riyadh, and Mohammed bin Salman continues to meet with high-ranking US administration officials. On June 7 in Jeddah, for example, he held talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
A White House National Security Council spokesman told the publication that the administration is "not aware of such threats by Saudi Arabia." "The United States continues to work with Saudi Arabia, an important partner in the region, to advance shared interests and a common desire for a more secure, stable and prosperous region interconnected with the rest of the world," the official added.
The Biden administration promised to review relations with Saudi Arabia after the OPEC+ countries agreed to cut oil production in the fall of 2022. As US officials claimed at the time, the OPEC+ decision demonstrated that Saudi Arabia was aligning its energy policy with Russia. In 2019, Biden, then a US presidential candidate, promised to make the kingdom a pariah on the international stage.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS