3 min read

20.10.22

15H45 CAT

Umm Muhammed Umar

This was after OPEC had last week announced that it would cut its oil production target, over US objections. President Joe Biden announced that there would be consequences for US relations with Saudi Arabia. His announcement followed powerful Democrat Senator, Bob Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee having commented that that the United States should immediately freeze all cooperation with Saudi Arabia, including arms sales. Radio Islam spoke to Steven Nunez.

Nunez said that the consequences of Saudi Arabia cutting oil production might involve the lucrative arms sales that the United States has traditionally provided the Saudi regime with, as well as technical support. He said, “There are many hundreds of US advisors on the ground in Saudi Arabia, working with some of the technically sophisticated weaponry, some of which is classified, so that only they can work on them.” He added, “They can’t train the Saudis to use them.” Nunez said that the arms sales have been controversial because the weapons and technology assistance has enabled Saudi Arabia to engage in the war crimes in Yemen, which have resulted in tens of thousands of civilian casualties. He also mentioned the intervention in Bahrain, the threats against Qatar and of course the domestic repression in the Kingdom. He said, “And while these many crimes weren’t enough to get the US administration to revaluate their position, apparently raising oil prices is.”

Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, said that it had not made the decision to reduce oil production alone, and that it was the decision reached by OPEC. Nunez explained that Saudi Arabia had been targeted by the US as it was the most powerful member of OPEC. He said, “OPEC prices do not go up or down without Saudi Arabia’s approval. They are by far the most important actor there.” He added that there were indeed economic reasons for OPEC wanting to decrease production, but that most of the world has been willing to make economic sacrifices in order to defend Ukraine and isolate Russia. Nunez said that US support for Saudi Arabia has been very controversial for a long time, and that one reason that President Biden was particularly upset was that he had taken huge political risk in visiting Saudi Arabia a few months ago. He said that that visit had been extremely controversial, and that Biden had faced criticism from both Republicans and Democrats alike as a result: “especially after the murder of the prominent Washington Post journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, and Biden’s promises when he was running for president back in 2020, of making Saudi Arabia a pariah.”  Nunez explained that Biden had taken the political risk of making the trip on the grounds that it would help convince Saudi Arabia to keep oil production up and keep oil prices down. Midterm elections are looming in the US and lower fuel prices would help score points.

Nunez concluded by saying that there were a number of countries that would continue to buy oil from, and enjoy a close relationship with, Saudi Arabia. He said that because of the Kingdoms wealth, it was difficult to isolate it completely. He stressed that the United States was by far Saudi Arabia’s most important ally in terms of the military technology.  Nunez said, “the United States could practically ground Saudi Arabia’s Air Force given that they are so dependent on American spare parts, American technology, American training, and so many other things.” He added, “The United States, in fact, does have considerable leverage with Saudi Arabia should they choose to use it…. for decades, they have resisted taking advantage of this leverage, whether this current episode with the raising of OPEC prices will be enough to actually enable the United States to take decisive action, or it’ll be limited to some rather smaller expressions of disapproval, remains to be seen.”