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The United States and Saudi Arabia are linked by a longstanding partnership, especially on the security level, despite a series of crises that marred their relations.
On Friday, a US intelligence report on the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi accused Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman of “authorizing” the operation. The report was not released under former President Donald Trump and was declassified on Friday.
Washington did not impose sanctions on Mohammed bin Salman to avoid provoking a “boycott” with Saudi Arabia, the main ally that “flatly rejected” the report.
Association since 1945
The discovery of huge oil reserves in the late 1930s in the Saudi desert gave the kingdom the status of a vital partner for the United States.
On February 14, 1945, the partnership between the two parties was reached during a historic meeting between King Abdulaziz Al Saud and President Franklin Roosevelt aboard the USS Quincy in the Suez Canal. The agreement provides the kingdom with military protection in exchange for recognition of privileged access to oil.
Oil gun
On October 16, 1973, 10 days after the outbreak of war between the Arab countries and Israel, the Arab countries of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), led by Riyadh, turned oil into a weapon, raised their price by 70 percent. and it imposed an oil embargo that was extended between October 1973 and March 1974 on supporters of Israel, especially the United States.
Cooperation, aggressions
After Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, Saudi Arabia allowed hundreds of thousands of US forces to deploy on its territory. Saudi territory formed a base for the Washington-led international coalition to drive out invading Iraqi forces.
In the following years, coalition jets took off from military bases in the country to implement a “no-fly zone” over southern Iraq, enraging Saudi militants who launched two attacks against US interests in Saudi Arabia. mid-1990s.
11 of September
After the attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States, which were claimed by “Al Qaeda”, bilateral relations suffered the most serious setback: 15 Saudis out of 19 attackers diverted planes in the attacks that killed almost 3,000 people.
Saudi Arabia has condemned the attacks, but the kingdom has been accused of financing Islamic extremism.
Washington withdrew most of its remaining air force in the kingdom and moved its regional military headquarters to Qatar.
Crisis during the Obama era
In October 2013, Riyadh announced its refusal to hold a seat on the UN Security Council in an unprecedented move, but went so far as to protest what it considered “inaction” by the Security Council and Washington in the Syrian conflict.
Riyadh, which supports rebels fighting the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has made no secret of its anger at Obama’s withdrawal in September from hitting the Syrian regime.
The nuclear agreement signed with Iran in 2015 deepened the differences with Riyadh.
Support in the Trump era
Riyadh welcomed the arrival of Donald Trump to the presidency. In May 2017, Trump chose Saudi Arabia for his first presidential trip, where he was very well received, and during the visit he called for the “isolation” of Iran.
The two countries announced huge military contracts worth more than $ 380 billion, including $ 110 billion for the sale of American weapons to Riyadh.
On March 20, Trump welcomed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the White House and praised a “wonderful friendship.”
On November 20, Trump said that Mohammed bin Salman may have known about Khashoggi’s assassination, but stressed that Washington “intends to remain a firm partner of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
Restart
On February 4, 2021, US President Joe Biden called for an “end” to the war in Yemen and an end to “arms sales” to the Saudi-led coalition.
On February 12, Washington removed the Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels from its list of “terrorist organizations.”
On February 16, the White House announced that the US president wanted to “reestablish” relations with Saudi Arabia and that he would hold talks with the king, Salman bin Abdulaziz, not with the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.
On February 26, the US intelligence report on the Khashoggi’s assassination was released.
