Saudi crown prince threatened 'major' economic pain on U.S. amid oil feud

[brooklynite]

Source: Washington Post

Last fall, President Biden vowed to impose “consequences” on Saudi Arabia for its decision to slash oil production amid high energy prices and fast-approaching elections in the United States.

In public, the Saudi government defended its actions politely via diplomatic statements. But in private, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman threatened to fundamentally alter the decades-old U.S.-Saudi relationship and impose significant economic costs on the United States if it retaliated against the oil cuts, according to a classified document obtained by The Washington Post.
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The crown prince claimed “he will not deal with the U.S. administration anymore,” the document says, promising “major economic

Eight months later, Biden has yet to impose consequences on the Arab country and Mohammed has continued to engage with top U.S. officials, as he did with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the seaside Saudi city of Jiddah this week.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/06/08/saudi-arabia-cut-oil-production/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=wp_main

[Traildogbob]

1. Won't deal

With US Admin but damn sure will deal with PGA and Donald. Fuck those murdering terrorists. We should never deal with them, period, and loudly condemn boycott those that do within our country.

[hamsterjill]

19. It is disgraceful what the PGA did.

I am not a golf fan but I watched an interview with a player a couple of nights ago who was trying to justify the actions. There is no justification other than “it’s the money”.

Makes my heart hurt for the 9/11 families.

[Traildogbob]

21. Me too

They care as much for those lost and their families as GQP do for slaughtered children. They hide behind mtns of cash out of danger.

[rockfordfile]

2. He's threating our country?

[Autumn]

3. Good. Don't deal with the U.S. administration anymore. Talk Trump into getting on a plane and

fly to Saudi Arabia. He can take his family with him. They can live happily ever after as fugitives.

[PortTack]

4. This isn't a loaded deck with the Saudis holding all the cards

We could withdraw our military might leaving the Saudis very vulnerable

[DENVERPOPS]

7. I'm quite sure

Putin would step right in and replace us................

[oldsoftie]

11. Or China. Or BOTH.

[DENVERPOPS]

20. Don't forget the others:

North Korea, India, Iran,

[airplaneman]

23. Saudi Arabia and Iran are bitter enemies that would not help each other n/t.

[oldsoftie]

33. The bitterness has "faded"

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-65826590

Iran has reopened its embassy in Saudi Arabia, seven years after the regional rivals severed diplomatic ties.
Representatives of the Iranian and Saudi foreign ministries attended the ceremony in Riyadh, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV reported.
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, Alireza Bigdeli, said it was a sign that co-operation was "entering a new era".
It comes three months after the Gulf countries agreed to restore ties in a deal brokered by China.

[DENVERPOPS]

46. And didn't Iran

offer to make drones for Russia????

[oldsoftie]

48. They've sent them & reportedly are helping them build their own factory.

Russia has been using the Shaheed drones for some time now. They use swarms of them, because they move slow. But they pack a punch if they make it thru

[rpannier]

24. Except

They'd have to replace all the weaponry we've provided them
Their stuff cannot be used on our equipment
Also, what does Putin have to offer?
His equipment is failing against a country using limited US resources

[IronLionZion]

25. Putin can't even defeat Ukraine

Not sure many countries are interested in the Russian military now.

[swong19104]

27. If I were the Saudis,

I'll take a hard pass on using Russian made weapons.

[DENVERPOPS]

47. The Saudis don't need Russian weapons

the U.S. has been supplying them all they need for decades, and having Our military bases there, to protect the saudis.....

[PortTack]

32. He could, but currently has nothing to offer anyone. They have stopped exporting any military

Equipment. They make 20 tanks a month at one facility and that’s about half of what they are currently losing on the battlefield in Ukraine

[SKKY]

43. Putin can't deal with Ukraine, let alone keep them at bay...

...while also defending Saudi Arabia. Plus, it's highly unlikely we would pull out of Qatar or Bahrain, so yea, as Arizona Congressman said, "Fuck around and find out."

[treestar]

54. Can he?

On top of Ukraine? I had the impression they are spread thin.

[Red Mountain]

5. Biden can handle him.

Personally, I'd threaten to make it the 51st state.

[Mme. Defarge]

6. Ha!

[Drum]

10. Lolz!

[TeamProg]

8. Huh? Kind of vague synopses.. nt

[turtleblossom]

9. Oh yeah? Let's make our pain his pain.

Renewable energy, here we come.

[lonely bird]

12. Stop exporting our oil

Stop importing any oil from the Saudis.

Stop all military sales to them. Arm the Yemeni faction opposed to the Saudis. Open relations with Iran.

Do any and everything to fuck them over. They will stop selling oil denominated in dollars. Back any Arab nation opposed to the Saudis.

Fuck. Them.

Their Wahhabism is disgusting.

[roamer65]

28. We should have never lifted the oil import ban.

[treestar]

55. True and any economy

with just one product is vulnerable.

[tonekat]

13. All their oil

Could be rendered radioactive and worthless quickly. Via a variety of methods.

[oldsoftie]

14. We have the ability to make their oil a lot LESS profitable. MORE oil.

Like it or not we have to do what we have to do.
"Renewables" are NOT going to take down the Saudis anytime soon. More oil WILL
We have $4 gas again next Nov many voters wont blame the Saudis, they'll blame OUR President.

[Snarkoleptic]

15. We need to quit exporting oil...now!

An run, don't walk to renewables.

[SouthernDem4ever]

16. And he's the money behind the PGA now

Repugs are such assholes. They act like big patriots and are the first to sell out and throw our country under the bus.

[quakerboy]

18. I wonder

If we had moved forward with solar panels everywhere over the past 40 years, if this would even been a remotely viable threat?


Even if we just spent the last 5-10 years doubling down, making it a national goal to get a solar panel on every roof by 2030, How much extra oil would we have to export to allies as needed? We could literally be undercutting our various enemies, such as SA, Iran, and Russia, while making money hand over fist.

If we hadnt had a stupid man blow up the JCPOA, We could have been in a better position with Iran as well. Add in the potential to have been building a positive relationship with Venezuala, and We could have been in a position where Russia was on its knees at this point in time.

[Progressive dog]

59. Less than 2% of our electricity is produced from oil.

We do still make almost 20% from coal, so renewables will be replacing coal and will not affect oil usage for a long while. Only 3.4% of our electricity came from solar in 2022.
https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=427&t=3

[Historic NY]

22. Fuck them pull our military assets out and destroy the rest....

we should cut them off and block their gold league from coming here.

[roamer65]

26. Glad I kept the FFV Equinox that fell my way.

Filled up with E50 tonite for $2.80/gallon.

A whole tankful of 🖕🖕🖕🖕to the saudis.

[oldsoftie]

34. E50? I thought it was E85?

[roamer65]

37. There are stations in Michigan that offer E30, E50 and E85.

Not many but I know of them. They have the blending pumps.

[oldsoftie]

49. Wow. I learn something every day.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

29. I thought they had been inflicting 'major' economic pain on the U.S. for decades.

Anyone doubting it only needs to observe the obscene decadence of Saudi Arabia and the UAE and their human rights violations.


KY........

[ssgchester]

30. A Very Simple Fix

Here is my very simple fix.
DROP THE NATIONAL US SPEED LIMIT BACK TO 55 MPH.
A. It will save consumers a lot of money.
B. Vehicles will have better gas mileage.
C. So you leave an hour or so earlier to get where you need to get too.
D. This will cause a glut of oil.
E. The demand will go down due to better mileage.
F. Less demand, less money the Saudis make. And they have TONS of royals over there who need a minimum of $100,000.00 to live on. And that is the bottom rung of the "royals" over there.
G. And those "royals" DEMAND their money.
H. I drive a diesel car. When I back it down to 55 MPH, I get over 57 miles per gallon.
I can hear the Royal Saudis family screaming right now.

[carpetbagger]

31. Welcome to DU.

[oldsoftie]

35. Nobody is going to drive 55 anymore. And it would save a tiny amount of what we use.

its been brought up in the past & reducing the speed limit would only save about 2% of our daily usage.
Build more HYBRID vehicles. And stop exporting oil that can be refined HERE.

[roamer65]

38. I get 45 mpg from my Cruze on long trips.

Plus I have a FFV Chevy Equinox.

I routinely run about 40-50 ethanol in it. I am cutting the vehicle’s overall GHG emissions by doing it.

https://afdc.energy.gov/files/u/publication/ethanol-ghg-reduction-with-greet.pdf

Fuck the Saudis.

[louis-t]

39. The difference from 70 to 55 in my Hyundai

is about 5 mpg. Not significant, but it might make an impact if done nationwide. From 45 to 60 mph I get over 45 mpg. If conditions are right, not too much wind and moderate temps, it can go over 50 mpg. A better solution would be to enforce the current speed limit. Even in 55 zone, there are vehicles going past me at 80-90 mph. Sometimes 4 or 5 at a time. I have seen very little enforcement on the freeways.

[twodogsbarking]

36. The US exports more oil than it imports but we need Saudi oil.

Y'all understand that?

[FSogol]

40. The Saudi plan of "help Trumpy get elected again" isn't really going well for them, is it?

[RT Atlanta]

41. Past time we (USA) turned off the spigot

of $s and 'defense aid' and 'defense sails' to bone saw arabia (H/t to Jeff Tiedrich)

[Quanto Magnus]

42. Screw the murderer

Saudi Arabia is openly admitting they are trying to manipulate the election.

[Snackshack]

44. Phuck MBS

The oil companies and car companies that continue to keep us shackled to fossil fuels that are destroying the planet. These people are never going to do what has to be done it ensure the human species continues for many more generations to come instead of the small number of generations left to come right now if we stay the course and burn every drop of oil we can squeeze out of the ground.

Oil companies need to be nationalized because they are never going to willingly put themselves out of business which is what eliminating fossil fuels would do. Car companies need to either really start producing efficient engines that for years stories have floated around about patents bought by car companies for technology that would greatly increase gas milage but once the patent is bought it is shelved never to see daylight again. Governments needs to heavily incentivize to the tune of billions companies working on alternative fuels not the measly 5-10million but billions. We just phucking finished the bloating of a program only the DoD could pull off to the tune of trillions on one single fucking plane the 5th generation F35... now they are wanting to start dumping billions into 6th generation fighter design, what?!?!.... how about letting the 5th generation do its job first and instead use that money to get us out from under the BS SA & MBS does. 15-19 hijackers on 9/11 were Saudi, MBS gave the okay to murder an American citizen he should be on the FBI's 10 most wanted list w/ DT not making the threats they are both so obviously stupid to make. WE should have done this in 72-73 when SA pulled their gas shortage bullshit then and been done with them until they enter the current millennium and actually get an adult in charge not some man baby like the GOP picks.

[oldsoftie]

50. So you really believe the old conspiracies from 45 yrs ago?

No one has ever been able to produce any real plans for those engines. And You think China or others would abide by a patent purchase? No. They'd be making those 200mpg cars right now & thumbing their nose at everyone. Just like they do with everything else they steal

[Hortensis]

45. The Arab nations have also just resumed alliance with Syria/Assad.

Seems likely Sawdi bin Salman will try to drive oil prices up for the next election. And that we'll deal with it.

All the world's dangerous, renegade leaders need Democrats to lose power in 2024, and the entire world, including their unfortunate peoples, needs us to win.

[oldsoftie]

51. Exactly. We simply must produce MORE, not less, oil.

Its the only way to put the brakes on their plans. People WILL change their votes if they're paying 4-5$ a gallon for gas. And batteries aren't going to bail us out of it in 18 months.
"Climate change" is meaningless if Trumpists regain power & ruin the worlds free countries

[Hortensis]

52. Well, we have to meet energy demand while transitioning

to sustainable; and as our population and economy grow, our energy supplies must grow too. That is an implacable need, like food and water adequate to maintain life.

As for Sawdi bin Salman's threat,... The ME and other parts of the world are aligning against liberal western nations, and economic and political warfare waged by poking and manipulating the minds of American voters are just going to keep ramping up.

We have to deal with it. At least Sawdi can't actually inflict the great pain threatened, especially on those Americans who tend to vote, but a spoiled and manipulable electorate is our great weakness.

As you say, all government efforts to battle climate in this era depend on Democratic Party domination of the U.S. government. All foreign nations dependent on oil sales know that.

Scary, but I like our chances a lot better than the ME's, poor things. And just imagine the position we'd be in now if we hadn't achieved technical energy independence under Obama. But we did and energy security has continued to grow since. Critically important, as this threat illustrates.

[oldsoftie]

56. "Sawdi"? Hahahahahahaha

[cstanleytech]

53. Eventually thr countries in the Middle East will run out of oil.

When that happens the power they are wield right now will be snuffed out which they clearly are forgetting.

[live love laugh]

57. Lots of confidence all of a sudden... maybe due to increased "intelligence"?

[machoneman]

58. Now I get why he said this just before the NYT's published a long article on Saudi help for TFG...

...way back in 2015-2016 before the election. Funny how R's howl at TFG's indictment being done with timing involved but ignore the timing of the the Saudi threat.