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Foreign F-You: Reports that Saudi, UAE leaders declined calls with Biden over oil signal trouble

March 9, 2022 | | Print Article

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The crown princes of Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi have in recent days reportedly refused to speak with U.S. President Joe Biden, despite his desperate desire for more of their oil, preferring instead to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“There was some expectation of a phone call, but it didn’t happen. It was part of turning on the spigot [of oil],” one U.S. official told The Wall Street Journal.

This veritable “let’s go Brandon” moment from Saudi crown prince Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Emirate of Abu Dhabi crown prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan is a consequence of their shared displeasure with the president’s foreign policy decisions.

According to several U.S. and Saudi officials who spoke with The Wall Street Journal, the “Saudis have signaled that their relationship with Washington has deteriorated under the Biden administration.”

“They want more support for their intervention in Yemen’s civil war, help with their own civilian nuclear program as Iran’s moves ahead, and legal immunity for Prince Mohammed in the U.S.,” the Journal reported Tuesday.

Prince Mohammed has reportedly been linked to the 2018 assassination of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, ergo his desire for “legal immunity.”

The Emiratis “share Saudi concerns about the restrained U.S. response to recent missile strikes by Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen against the U.A.E. and Saudi Arabia,” according to the Post.

And both the Saudis and the Emiratis are “concerned about the revival of the Iran nuclear deal, which doesn’t address other security concerns of theirs and has entered the final stages of negotiations in recent weeks.”

This shared displeasure poses an extraordinary political risk for Biden, who on Tuesday formally banned imports of Russian oil, sending U.S. gas prices skyrocketing.

Yet immediately after the president unilaterally banned Russian oil and sent gas prices skyrocketing, he claimed in remarks to the media that he “can’t do much right now” about rising gas prices, essentially arguing that “Russia is responsible” for his decision.

The remarks provoked a torrent of backlash.

Look (*Language warning):

Much of the anger stems from the president’s stubborn refusal to embrace domestic oil/gas production, lest it exacerbate the alleged threat of man-made climate change.

Making matters worse, the president and his administration refuse to admit that they’ve purposefully made domestic oil/gas production significantly harder than before thanks to their bevy of unnecessary new regulations.

As previously reported, “The White House has repeatedly suggested the private sector can boost oil supply amid surging gas prices, but industry groups have countered that the administration has placed hurdles for new drilling.”

Biden inexplicably believes the solution to America’s current energy woes lies elsewhere, namely in the hands of men like Prince Mohammed, Sheikh Mohammed and even Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.

“Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Monday acknowledged reports that the Administration had sent emissaries to [the Venezuelan capital of] Caracas to discuss “energy security.” The Administration may ease sanctions on Venezuelan oil to replace lost Russian supply, which buyers are shunning due to sanctions risk,” according to the Post.

The president’s bizarre behavior has inspired some, including members of his own party, to ask why he’s so bent out of shape about Russia’s alleged war crimes yet perfectly willing to excuse the alleged war crimes of the world’s many other dictators:

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Vivek Saxena
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