Last fall, President Biden vowed to impose “consequences” on Saudi Aabia for its decision to slash oil production amid high energy prices and fast-approaching elections in the United States.
In public, the Saudi government defended its actions politely via diplomatic statements. But in private, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman threatened to fundamentally alter the decades-old U.S.-Saudi relationship and impose significant economic costs on the United States if it retaliated against the oil cuts, according to a classified document obtained by The Washington Post.
The crown prince claimed “he will not deal with the U.S. administration anymore,” the document says, promising “major economic consequences for Washington.”
Eight months later, Biden has yet to impose consequences on the Arab country and Mohammed has continued to engage with top U.S. officials, as he did with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the seaside Saudi city of Jiddah this week.
It is unclear whether the crown prince’s threat was conveyed directly to U.S. officials or intercepted through electronic eavesdropping, but his […]
a dangerous man under extreme threat. I remember reading approx. 7 years ago, about the Saudi plan for solar energy. The Americans were involved. The Chinese were going to set up transporting that energy to Europe. In the interim, nothing showed up about its completion. I also remember that every Saudi citizen received an annual stipend from oil. That MBS has a large family who are part of those annual payoffs.