Biden’s trip could nudge the kingdom on oil production
Saudi Arabia lifts ban on Israeli flights
U.S. is ‘not going to wait forever’ for Iran to rejoin nuclear deal, says Biden
Washington DC: President Joe Biden is headed to Saudi Arabia Friday as part of his first Middle East trip as commander in chief. While campaigning in 2019, Biden vowed to treat the Saudi kingdom as “the pariah that they are,” and as president, he vocally criticized the country’s human rights record.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in March had reportedly refused to take a call from Biden, as the U.S. leader pleaded with the Gulf States to increase oil production after banning Russian oil imports.
Ali Shihabi, a Saudi analyst close to the kingdom’s royal court, sees Biden’s visit as a tonic for a damaged relationship. The visit, he said, “is a reset. And I think it’s a welcome reset. Because the relationship is important to the kingdom also, and they would like those clouds to pass.”
Biden’s advisors have also talked about Saudi Arabia committing to stay fully aligned with the U.S. versus Russia and China. But some warn that the rapprochement effort won’t achieve that.
On Thursday, U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid stood side-by-side in Jerusalem and declared they would not allow Iran to become a nuclear power. Biden, in a joint news conference after a one-on-one meeting with the Israeli leader, said he still wants to give diplomacy a chance. Moments earlier, Lapid insisted that words alone won’t thwart Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. Israel reiterated its commitment to stopping Iran from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“I continue to believe that diplomacy is the best way to achieve this outcome,” Biden said on the second day of a four-day visit to Israel and Saudi Arabia.
However, Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi issued a broad threat Thursday against the United States and Israel, warning them of a “harsh and regrettable response” to any action against the Islamic Republic.
Raisi blamed the U.S. and “its regional allies” for stoking instability in the region, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. “Any mistake by the Americans and their allies in the region and the world will be met with a harsh and regrettable response,” Raisi said.
The threat from Iran could work wonders as Biden lands in Saudi Arabia Friday. One of Biden’s aims on his trip to the Middle East is to boost Israel’s security alliance with Gulf Arab states, built on the shared fear of Iran.
