‘Enough is Enough’: Menendez, Ro Khanna Call for Reevaluation of US-Saudi Ties, Target Arms Sales

Relations between Saudi Arabia and the US could undergo crucial changes as a section of Congress members want to restrict weapons supply to the West Asian nation.

The nature of the relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia is oil for security, which means, the US provides it security against its enemies in the region, most notably, Iran and Saudi in return increases oil production to ensure a reliable supply in its markets.

Saudi Arabia is engulfed in a proxy war with Iran in Yemen and is upset over the talks of revival of the nuke deal. It remains unclear whether that weighed during the decision-making process at the OPEC+ meet where it entertained non-OPEC core member Russia’s request for production cuts.

This has now angered Democrat senator Bob Menendez, who has also found support from colleagues Richard Blumenthal and Ro Khanna, news agency the Guardian reported.

“I will not green-light any cooperation with Riyadh until the Kingdom reassesses its position with respect to the war in Ukraine. Enough is enough,” Menendez was quoted as saying by the Guardian.

The senator from New Jersey disappointment with the US ally was due to the decision to cut oil production by 2m barrels taken at the OPEC+ meet. Menendez said that Prince Mohammed Bin Salman was helping underwrite ‘Putin’s war through the OPEC+ cartel’.

“There is simply no room to play both sides of this conflict,” the senator said.

Ro Khanna and Blumenthal penned a piece in Politico magazine where they explained: “The Saudi decision was a pointed blow to the US, but the US also has a way to respond: it can promptly pause the massive transfer of American warfare technology into the eager hands of the Saudis.”
These Democrats terming Saudi as an ‘apparent ally’of its ‘greatest enemy’ said that these strategic defence systems should not transferred uncontrollably to the kingdom.

Chris Murphy, another Democratic senator, called for a ‘wholesale revaluation’ of the ties between the US and Saudi Arabia earlier this month in a separate article.

The Democrat senators claim that the criticism of Saudi Arabia’s moves is bipartisan and politicians on both sides are unimpressed following the collusion between Riyadh and Moscow.

Menendez, however, tracked back a little and said that he does not support an outright ban but rather wants to block all kinds of arms sales and security cooperation which are necessary to defend US interests in the region.

The hawkish stance from US president Joe Biden’s own party is likely to put White House at loggerheads with the US House and Senate since Biden faced criticism for not following up on his electoral campaign promise to turn Saudi Arabia into an ‘international pariah’.

Biden earlier in July was humbled by the Saudi leader who ignored his pleas to help to relieve high oil prices. Congressional watchdog, the government accountability office, found that Biden’s move to suspend sales of US offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia was ‘meaningless’.

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