Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman He enjoyed deriding Joe Biden with his advisors, his “slips and weaknesses of mental acuity”. So at least he says The Wall Street Journal In a long article published yesterday, Tuesday 25 October. Bin Salman, 37, the operational commander of Saudi Arabia, also said that he had not respected Biden for a long time, since the current US president was Biden’s deputy. Barack Obama. Dealing with him was much better Donald Trump“he will add, again according to the New York Times.

Relations between Washington and Riyadh It might be at an all-time low. So much so that White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan announced that immediately after the midterm elections (Tuesday, November 8), Biden would propose to Congress a “review of strategic relations with the Saudis.” Basically: Confirm the embargo on arms sales adopted as early as 2021 and impose economic restrictions. The US President strongly criticized the recent decision of OPEC +, inspired by Saudi Arabia, the dry cut of oil production: Less than two million barrels per day. A move that kept crude oil prices at high levels, and had a double effect: fueling inflation in the West. Give a breath to Russian exports, with more financial resources to Vladimir Putin.

In fact, relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia were already very tense. Biden campaigned and confirmed that he would ask Saudi leaders to hold those responsible for the journalist’s assassination to account Jamal Khashoggi, which was supported, according to the CIA, by bin Salman. Also, in recent months, The US administration has repeatedly urged the Saudis to isolate Russia economically and politically. But bin Salman maintained an equal position, claiming the right to support Kyiv, but at the same time continued to engage with Moscow. Last July, Biden met the crown prince in Jeddah. But it was clearly not enough to start a more relaxed confrontation, at least on a personal level.