US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Saudi Arabia did not receive significant coverage in the kingdom's media, occurring against a backdrop of strained relations between the two countries despite US efforts to defuse tensions related to oil prices, human rights, and Riyadh's openness to Iran. Blinken is the second senior US official to visit the kingdom in less than a month, following White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's visit on May 7.
However, Blinken's meetings with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman were only reported in the internal pages of Al-Watan and Okaz, Saudi Arabia's two largest newspapers, which prioritized other topics, like the arrival of French soccer star Karim Benzema in Jeddah to join Al-Ittihad Club.
An American official stated that Blinken and the Saudi Crown Prince had "open and candid" discussions lasting one hour and 40 minutes. Topics included the conflict in Yemen, the war in Sudan, Israel, and human rights. The semi-official English newspaper "Arab News" covered Blinken's remarks at the Gulf Cooperation Council headquarters, including those on Yemen, but did not address US diplomatic efforts to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
Reducing Tensions
Blinken stated before the Gulf Cooperation Council, "We share a commitment to reducing tensions between Israelis and Palestinians and maintaining a horizon of hope, working towards a two-state solution," referring to the Palestinians' aspirations for statehood in the territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 war. He added, "We are also working with countries in the region to expand and enhance normalization with Israel."
Saudi Arabia is under intense US pressure to end its non-recognition of Israel, similar to the actions taken by the UAE and Bahrain. Riyadh maintains that the specific goal of establishing a Palestinian state must be achieved first before normalizing relations with Israel. In contrast, the kingdom moved in the opposite direction in April by restoring its relations with Iran, its main regional rival and Israel's arch-enemy, in a deal mediated by China.
No "Gifts"
Saudi analyst Abdulaziz Al-Ghashayan, specializing in Gulf-Israeli relations, stated that Riyadh will not budge from its stance on normalization due to factors such as Israel's extreme religious-nationalist government and dissatisfaction with US President Joe Biden's administration. He remarked, "This is not the US administration that Saudis want to gift normalization with Israel."
He noted that it would be a tremendous achievement, one that would be under US auspices, and they do not want Biden's administration to receive any credit for it. Riyadh has also benefited from its growing relations with Russia and China, particularly as the Biden administration has not acquiesced to Saudi requests, such as lifting restrictions on arms sales and assisting in sensitive high-tech industries.
Deteriorating Relations
US-Saudi relations have deteriorated since the murder of dissident Jamal Khashoggi, a US resident, in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. Relations further soured after the Biden administration took office in early 2021 and released an intelligence assessment stating that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved Khashoggi's killing, which the Crown Prince denied.
Additional disputes persist over Saudi involvement in the Yemeni conflict, its relations with China, and oil prices.
OPEC
Blinken's visit came just days after Saudi Arabia, the world's largest crude oil exporter, pledged another cut in its oil production, in addition to what it committed to under a broader agreement in OPEC+ to reduce supplies in a bid to bolster falling oil prices despite US objections. Western powers criticized OPEC's decisions to cut oil production and view its partnership with Russia within OPEC+ with suspicion, especially following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Saudi Arabia and other OPEC countries maintain that the organization is not politicized and seeks only to stabilize energy markets.
While Blinken was meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Wednesday, the Saudi Crown Prince spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, praising the cooperation between the two countries within OPEC+.
