As the United States (US) continues to target Russia’s oil and gas exports over the almost two-month-long war in Ukraine, relations between the US and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) appear to be on the edge of ruin. According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), US-Saudi ties have reached a “breaking point” due to bickering over various issues, including the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Iran nuclear deal, and the war in Yemen.
Stephen Kalin, Summer Said, and David S. Cloud begin the article by recalling a conversation between White House National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan and Saudi Arabia’s de-facto ruler Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman (MBS) last September, during which MBS allegedly shouted at Sullivan for bringing up the killing of Khashoggi, and completely refused to adhere Washington’s request to increase oil production to reduce energy prices.
Following the article’s publication, officials from both Washington and Riyadh have refused that the interaction happened, even claiming that relations between the two countries remain as strong as ever. A Saudi official asserted that despite “disagreements and differing points” in the US-Saudi relationship, the two countries will not stop their 77-year-long partnership.
Despite their reassurances, however, US-Saudi relations have hit their lowest point. In 2019, President Biden criticised Riyadh’s human rights record. More recently, he has irked MBS by saying that he views the 86-year-old King Salman as his counterpart, not the Crown prince. In fact, he has yet to speak with or meet the Crown prince, despite the White House recently making overtures to change this. In February, MBS refused to participate in a scheduled phone call with Biden, in an indication of the growing rift between the two leaders.
In a recent interview with The Atlantic, MBS was asked whether Biden had “misunderstood” him over the Khashoggi killing, to which he replied, “Simply, I do not care.” The Crown prince underlined that such alienation of Saudi Arabia will only hurt the US in the long term. He also underscored that the death of Khashoggi was a “huge mistake,” adding that he is doing everything to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.
In 2021, a US intelligence report released by the Biden administration accused MBS of approving Khashoggi’s assassination. The document said that the Crown Prince had “absolute control” of the Saudi security apparatus, which made it unlikely that Saudi officials had carried out the killing without his authorisation.
Soon after, US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken announced the “Khashoggi Ban,” a new directive aimed at imposing visa restriction policies on individuals engaging in “counter-dissident activities” on behalf of a foreign government. As part of this policy, the US government imposed travel restrictions on 76 Saudi officials believed to have played a role in Khashoggi’s murder. Riyadh, however, has fiercely denied claims that the Crown Prince was involved.
For the first time i see the Saudi TV mocking the US administration. pic.twitter.com/8vPtU0txJ8
— Asaad Sam Hanna (@AsaadHannaa) April 12, 2022
In response to such measures, Saudi Arabia has cancelled high-level diplomatic meetings with the US Secretary of State, Secretary of Defence, and other US officials on multiple occasions.
Riyadh has also expressed disappointment over Washington’s lack of military support for Saudi’s ongoing intervention in the Yemeni civil war and was hugely dismayed at the White House’s decision to remove the Houthi rebels from its terrorist organisation list. The KSA has also been angered by the US’ repeated attempts to negotiate with Iran, which backs the Houthis. It is also firmly against the revival of the nuclear deal, which world powers have been deliberating on in Vienna since last April.
However, White House Middle East coordinator Brett McGurk, along with other US officials, have visited KSA to assure them of Washington’s continued support for Riyadh. Furthermore, Washington has continued its arms sales to Riyadh, approving a $650 million sale of air-to-air missiles last November.
Saudi Arabia’s growing rift with the US is also reflected in the Kingdom’s growing ties with China. In fact, Riyadh has become Beijing’s top oil supplier. Moreover, Saudi Arabia has even been considering accepting the yuan for its oil sales to China instead of the US dollar, a potentially disastrous move for Washington’s global dominance.
China imports around 16% of its crude oil from the Kingdom. Furthermore, China imports 25% of Saudi Arabia’s total oil exports. Chinese oil companies have also signed several agreements with Aramco for supplying new refineries and petrochemical plants in China.
Saudi Arabia and China have also increased their strategic convergence. In August 2020, the WSJ reported that Saudi Arabia has signed a deal with China to construct a facility for the extraction of uranium yellowcake, reportedly in a bid to advance the Kingdom’s nuclear technology facilities. Furthermore, in December, US intelligence agencies reported that Saudi Arabia is manufacturing ballistic missiles with the help of China. Per reports, Riyadh has “sought help” from the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, the Chinese military’s missile branch, to assist with the production.