The chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the influential Senator Bob Menendez, threatened to block future arms sales to Saudi Arabia due to his “support” of Russia’s war in Ukraine with his decision within the framework of the “OPEC+” alliance. to reduce oil production
“There is simply no room for ambivalence in this conflict: You either support the rest of the free world in their efforts to prevent a war criminal from wiping an entire country off the map, or you do,” Menendez said in a statement. Him.”
This senator, who is known for outspoken criticism of Riyadh, added: “Saudi Arabia chose the second option with a terrible decision motivated by economic interests.”
“The United States must immediately cease all aspects of its cooperation with Saudi Arabia, including any arms sales and any security cooperation beyond what is strictly necessary to defend American personnel and interests,” he added.
This influential Democratic senator emphasized that as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he will not give the green light for any cooperation with Riyadh until the kingdom reconsiders its position on the war in Ukraine, adding: “Enough is enough.”
This position is the latest in a series of similar positions issued by members of Congress calling for a review of relations between Washington and Riyadh. But what makes Menendez’s position even more important is that it comes from the head of the committee that gives the green light to any arms sales abroad.
And when former US President Donald Trump issued an emergency declaration in 2019 to bypass Congress and approve an arms deal with Riyadh, Menendez upended the president’s game.
The administration of US President Joe Biden expressed his anger at his ally Saudi Arabia for the country’s decision within the framework of “OPEC Plus” to cut production by two million barrels per day in an effort to increase oil prices.
The “Washington Times” newspaper reported a few days ago that a group of American Democratic representatives proposed a plan that, in addition to the withdrawal of missile defense systems, also foresees the withdrawal of all forces from Saudi Arabia.
And the Bloomberg newspaper also pointed out that America should end the “special status” of the kingdom in American foreign policy and reduce the level of diplomatic relations with this country.
As for US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, he said the US is considering a number of retaliatory measures, including against Saudi Arabia, after OPEC+ decided to cut oil production.
The US criticized the decision as “short-sighted”, while the White House saw the decision as showing the OPEC+ alliance’s bias towards Russia.
Source: Lebanon Debate
