Since the arrival of Joe Biden in the White House, relations between Washington and Riyadh have been on a roller coaster.
The American president first wanted to make Saudi Arabia a "pariah", then attempted a rapprochement in July... Now, scalded by Riyadh's decisions on oil, he has chosen to clearly raise his voice against the kingdom.
“There will be consequences for what they have done, with Russia”, threatened Joe Biden on Tuesday during an interview on CNN, without specifying what kind they would be.
The president was thus referring to the recent decision by OPEC +, an oil cartel led by Saudi Arabia, to slash its production quotas, which could cause prices to soar and therefore fill the coffers of Russia, which counts on its sales of hydrocarbons to finance 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 partners led by Russia, inflicted a diplomatic snub on Joe Biden, who on the contrary demanded an abundant supply.
The American president even traveled to Saudi Arabia in July to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), after having sworn during his campaign to make the kingdom a "pariah" following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Saudi Foreign Minister Faiçal ben Farhane for his part explained on Tuesday on the Al-Arabiya channel that the drop in production represented a "purely economic approach taken unanimously by the member countries" of the organization, aimed at "maintaining a sustainable oil market”.
According to him, “OPEC+ members acted responsibly and made the appropriate decision.”
A hello that does not pass
The cartel's decision sparked a wave of outrage among members of the US Congress and particularly among Democratic Party lawmakers.
The powerful head of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Bob Menendez threatened Monday to block any future arms sales to Saudi Arabia.
Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal and House Representative Ro Khanna took him at his word when they introduced draft legislation on Tuesday to end such exports.
Joe Biden therefore finds himself in difficulty on this file.
The image of a familiar fist-to-fist salute exchanged with MBS has not finished turning against him.
Since the OPEC + decision, the American press has been full of murderous editorials on the failure of its "diplomacy" vis-à-vis Riyadh.
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UNITED STATES
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Saudi Arabia
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Joe Biden