Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has threatened to significantly damage the U.S. economy, The Washington Post reported Friday.
A few months ago, US President Joe Biden threatened that Saudi Arabia would bear the consequences for cutting oil production, which contributed to the rise in global gasoline prices. Publicly, the Saudi government has defended its actions only in diplomatic statements. According to the report, privately, bin Salman threatened to fundamentally change the relationship with the United States and burden it with significant costs if it took steps against the oil cut. That's according to a classified document obtained by the newspaper.
According to the document, bin Salman claimed that he would no longer deal with the US administration, and promised that Washington would bear major economic consequences. Eight months later, Biden has yet to take any action. Saudi Arabia recently announced further cuts in oil production, and bin Salman met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Jeddah.
According to the document, it is unclear whether the crown prince made a direct threat to American officials or whether the statements were recorded by wiretapping. The intelligence document was distributed on a messaging platform as part of a widespread leak of highly sensitive national security materials.
In response to the report, a spokesman for the US National Security Council said they were not aware of such a threat from Saudi Arabia. The Saudi embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment from the newspaper.
The Washington Post, it should be noted, is the newspaper where columnist Jamal Khashoggi once wrote his columns. In the articles, he criticized the political conduct of the Saudi royal family, and in October 2018 he was assassinated at the country's consulate in Istanbul. Since then, the newspaper has taken a particularly critical line towards bin Salman.
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us
