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- US President Joe Biden is hardening the political course towards Saudi Arabia.
- In connection with the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the US government announced sanctions on Friday.
- But the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, is saved.
On Friday, the office of the US intelligence coordinator Avril Haines released a secret report on the Khashoggi case. It turns out that Crown Prince Bin Salman had approved the operation to capture or kill Khashoggi at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, according to US intelligence agencies. In addition to the Crown Prince, the report names 21 people in connection with the operation.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry immediately rejected the report as “false” and “unacceptable”. It contains “incorrect information and conclusions” about the Saudi leadership. The “terrible crime” is a flagrant violation of Saudi law, those who committed it were convicted.
Expanded sanctions list
After the report was released, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced entry restrictions against 76 citizens of Saudi Arabia. In addition, the US Department of the Treasury included former Saudi deputy intelligence chief Ahmed al-Asiri and an elite unit protecting the Crown Prince on the sanctions list.
The criticism was sparked by the fact that the US government did not announce any punitive measures against the Crown Prince himself, although Biden had promised to do so in the election campaign.
Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California, chairman of the House Secret Service committee, called for more action on Twitter. “The Crown Prince’s hands are stained with blood.”
The CNN broadcaster reported, citing government circles, that sanctions against the Crown Prince were not an option because they could have endangered US military interests. Saudi Arabia has traditionally been a close ally of the United States. Former US President Donald Trump had made billions in arms deals with Saudi Arabia.
Chancellor Blinken defended the government’s actions. “The measures are not aimed at breaking the relationship, but at recalibrating it,” he told a news conference. He reiterated that the US government had suspended arms sales to Saudi Arabia pending verification.
New tone
Under former US President Trump, Saudi Arabia had a special status and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had a direct line to the Oval Office. He regularly exchanged ideas with Trump. But the new President Biden only talks to the Saudi king. Quite deliberately, says Middle East correspondent Pascal Weber:
Joe Biden is trying to rebalance US foreign and security policy in the Near and Middle East. The publication of this report is apparently an attempt to contain the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammad bin Salman. At the same time, Biden will do his best not to lose Saudi Arabia as an ally of the United States. This starting position is quite difficult, and it will become even more difficult if Biden tries to re-engage Iran in his Middle East policy. “
