In order to convince Washington’s Gulf allies to pump more oil and to include Israel in the region as part of a new axis partly motivated by shared fears over Iran, US President Joe Biden talks to Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia on Saturday. In a joint statement published by the Saudi state news agency, the two nations stressed the significance of preventing Iran from “acquiring a nuclear weapon.”
On the second leg of his first trip to the Middle East as president, Biden has downplayed meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a decision that has drawn criticism in the US due to human rights abuses. Instead, he has concentrated on the summit with six Gulf states, Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq that is scheduled. In response to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in 2018, Biden had vowed to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” on the international stage. However, he ultimately came to the conclusion that U.S. interests required a recalibration, not a rupture, in relations with the country, which is the top oil exporter and an Arab superpower.
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At a time when there is a temporary cease-fire in the Yemen war and high crude prices, as well as other issues connected to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Biden needs Saudi assistance. Washington also seeks to lessen China’s global influence and Iran’s hold on the area. Gulf governments, who have steadfastly refused to support the West against Russia in the Ukraine conflict, are in turn looking for a firm US commitment to strategic partnerships that have grown strained due to the US’s perceived disengagement from the region.
(with inputs from agencies)
