The Wall Street Journal reports that US-Saudi relations have reached their lowest point in years, with Washington considering reducing its military footprint in the kingdom after Riyadh imposed constraints on US bases and scuttled the Trump administration's 'Operation Liberty' within a day. The US is threatening to halt a shipment of interceptor missiles to Saudi Arabia, while Riyadh was reportedly offended that Secretary of State Marco Rubio 'skipped' the kingdom during his Gulf tour and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman declined an invitation to the G7 summit in France.
The Wall Street Journal reports that US-Saudi bilateral relations have deteriorated to a level not seen in years, according to a single source. Washington is considering reducing its security presence in the kingdom after Riyadh imposed constraints on the use of American bases on its soil and scuttled 'Operation Liberty' — the Trump administration's campaign against Iran — within a single day, the report says. In response, the US is threatening to halt a shipment of interceptor missiles to Saudi Arabia.
The report adds that Riyadh was taken aback and viewed unfavorably the fact that Secretary of State Marco Rubio 'skipped' the kingdom during his Gulf tour last week. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman subsequently declined an invitation to join the G7 summit in France, which included other Arab leaders.
The report, attributed to unnamed sources, has not been independently corroborated. As The Zioneer has previously reported, US-Saudi tensions have been mounting in recent months, particularly over the use of Saudi bases for strikes on Iran and the kingdom's reluctance to fully align with Washington's military posture (Friday, June 26, and Wednesday, June 17). The current report, if confirmed, would represent a significant escalation in the rift between the two longtime allies. No further details on the scale of the proposed force reduction or the timeline have been released.
2 developments
- DevelopingWSJ: US considers reducing Gulf presence, moving assets to Israel after Iranian strikes
- DevelopingSaudi Arabia initially refused US use of its airspace for Operation Liberty, WSJ reports
- StrongUS B-52 Bomber Reported Entering Saudi Airspace, Suggests Imminent Strikes on Iran
- DevelopingBallistic missile crosses into Saudi airspace, Arab desk reports
Source and signal
A single-sourced dispatch is never rated Confirmed or Strong. Its Signal strengthens only when a second, independent source corroborates it.
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