Relations between Washington and Riyadh have been on a rollercoaster ride since Joe Biden entered the White House. The American President initially wanted to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah”, then in July tried a rapprochement… Now, scalded by Riyadh’s decisions on oil, he has chosen to speak out clearly against the kingdom.
“There will be consequences for what they did with Russia,” Joe Biden threatened during an interview on CNN on Tuesday, without specifying what kind they would be. The president was referring to the recent decision by OPEC+, a Saudi-led oil cartel, to cut its production quotas, which could push up prices and fill the coffers of Russia, which relies on its hydrocarbon sales to fund its sales the war in Ukraine.
Biden in Riyadh last July
OPEC+, which includes the thirteen members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and their ten Russian-led partners, has inflicted a diplomatic snub on Joe Biden, who on the contrary called for ample supplies. The US President even traveled to Saudi Arabia in July to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) after vowing during his election campaign to make the kingdom an “outcast” following the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
For his part, Saudi Foreign Minister Faiçal ben Farhane, speaking on the Al-Arabiya channel on Tuesday, said the production cut was a “purely economic approach pursued unanimously by member countries” of the organization, which aims to “maintain a sustainable oil market”. According to him, “OPEC+ members acted responsibly and made the right decision.”
A hello that never goes away
The cartel’s decision sparked a wave of outrage among members of the US Congress, and particularly among lawmakers in the Democratic Party. The powerful head of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Bob Menendez, threatened on Monday to block future arms sales to Saudi Arabia. Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal and House Representative Ro Khanna took him at his word as they introduced a bill Tuesday to end such exports.
Joe Biden is therefore in trouble on this file. The image of a familiar fist-to-fist salute exchanged with MBS has far from turned against him. Ever since the OPEC+ decision, the American press has been full of murderous editorials about the failure of their “diplomacy” with Riyadh.