According to a story by the Washington Post, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman secretly warned the US of “major economic consequences” if President Joe Biden retaliated against Saudi Arabia’s plan to reduce oil production.
Last year, US President Joe Biden threatened Saudi Arabia with vague “consequences” after it reduced oil production as the globe struggled with skyrocketing energy costs, with the US and Europe bearing the brunt of this. According to a secret document cited by the Washington Post, the threat was made at that time.
According to the dossier, the crown prince was cited as saying “(I) will not deal with the US administration anymore.” The expansion of Saudi Arabia’s “transactional relationship” was also exposed in a different document that was leaked.
Saudi Arabia intends to buy drones, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and mass surveillance systems from Beijing, according to a document from December 2022.
According to the article, US Vice President Biden did make good on his promise. Saudi Arabia, however, just announced that starting in July, it would reduce oil production by an additional 1 million barrels per day.
According to the Washington Post, Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, who is accused of leaking a vast amount of Pentagon data earlier this year, was connected to the release of secret papers.
In response to the Washington Post’s inquiry, the US National Security Council stated that it was unaware of any such threats made by Saudi Arabia but added that these records “often represent only one snapshot of a moment in time” and do not provide the whole picture.
The official continued by saying that the US continues to work with Saudi Arabia and views it as a key partner in the area. The official also expressed the desire to achieve shared goals and a “common vision for a more secure, stable, and prosperous region, interconnected with the world”.
Additionally, they claimed that Saudi Arabia’s aspirations to establish a partnership with China were overstated and failed to materialise.
Since last year, the US has pleaded with the Saudi government to increase the cost of producing crude oil because rising fuel prices pose an inflation danger. A few weeks after US national security advisor Jake Sullivan travelled to see Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with him earlier this week.
