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Joe Biden has spoken by phone with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for the first time since he became president of the United States. Meanwhile, the new US president reiterated the US commitment to protect Saudi Arabia from the Iranian threat. At the time, Biden and King Salman emphasized the need to further strengthen the historical ties between the two countries.
The Saudi king congratulated Biden on taking the oath during the phone call. They stressed the need to work together on a number of bilateral and regional issues, in particular Iran’s response to the “threat.”
According to the Saudi state news agency SPA (Saudi Press Agency), King Salman thanked the US president for Washington’s commitment to protect Saudi Arabia from any threat. Biden also assured that Iran will not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. The White House said in a statement that the two leaders also spoke about ending the war in Yemen in the first phone call.
Furthermore, Biden described the recent release of other human rights activists in Saudi Arabia, including Luzain al-Hathloul, as positive. He noted the importance of the United States’ position on the protection of human rights and the rule of law around the world. According to a statement from the White House, Joe Biden promised King Salman that he would do everything possible to make bilateral relations as strong and transparent as possible.
Previously, Saudi Arabia had developed close ties with the United States under former US President Donald Trump. President Trump developed a personal relationship with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, and granted him wide freedom to use American weapons in the war in Yemen. But the Biden administration is moving away from Trump’s policy on the Saudi issue. The United States has said it will no longer support Saudi Arabia in the war in Yemen.
White House press secretary Yen Saki recently said that the new US president, Joe Biden, wants to reassess relations with Saudi Arabia. Trump developed a close relationship with Prince Salman through his daughter-in-law Jared Kushner. But Biden is interested in working directly with King Salman, not the prince, on the Saudi issue.
Additionally, Biden said last week that he had seen intelligence reports about the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey. The United States will publish the report soon. The CIA played a key role in compiling the intelligence report. US officials said the report could have blamed Prince Salman for authorizing and ordering Khashoggi’s murder.
Source: Arab News, Saudi Press Agency.
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