An analysis said the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia, long considered one of the most solid alliances in the Middle East, is showing cracks amid the war with Iran. While maintaining cooperation with the United States, Saudi Arabia is strengthening an independent diplomatic course, including seeking to improve ties with China.
On the 1st (local time), the New York Times (NYT) reported that the United States sought to launch the Project Freedom military operation last spring, deploying more than 100 U.S. military aircraft and warships to ensure the safety of ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. But Saudi Arabia, a key hub, refused to provide its military bases and airspace, forcing the operation to be halted.
Officials in the Donald Trump administration said a furious President Trump spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for three days starting May 4, the first day of the operation. U.S. Vice President JD Vance also called the crown prince to try to persuade him, but it did not work. Steve Witkoff, the Middle East envoy, Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, and White House National Security Adviser Marco Rubio were also mobilized to persuade him, but failed.
The NYT said, "The heretofore unknown diplomatic push by the White House during this war to change the crown prince's stance" and added, "This process and several key moments in the war reveal that U.S. and Saudi authorities are showing increasingly wide differences over Middle East security, especially how to deal with Iran and Israel."
Earlier, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) also cited officials from both countries the previous day as saying, "The enraged White House threatened to withhold supplies of interceptor missiles needed to shoot down Iran's missiles and drones if Saudi Arabia did not change its position," adding, "This previously undisclosed U.S. pressure is being assessed as the biggest crack in recent years in U.S.-Saudi relations, which for decades have underpinned the Gulf security architecture."
Hussein Ibish, a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, said, "Saudi Arabia has lost trust in the U.S. administration," and noted, "It judged that allowing the United States to use its airspace would invite greater attacks from Iran." Among experts, there is also an assessment that Saudi Arabia increasingly sees the U.S. government as a partner that is hard to trust and, at times, views the United States as a burden on the security of the Arab states of the Gulf.
The first signs of strain in the bilateral relationship date back to 2019. At the time, Iran was identified as being behind the attacks on Saudi oil facilities, but President Trump said he wanted to avoid military confrontation with Iran and called for a diplomatic resolution. The NYT reported that Saudi Arabia grew distrustful of Trump following this incident.
During the current war, Saudi Arabia and the United States revealed even deeper differences over how to respond to Iran. Saudi Arabia warned the United States that any attempt to topple the Iranian regime could lead to a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a spike in international oil prices, and instability in the Middle East. However, the United States, together with Israel, pressed ahead with military action against Iran, after which Iran launched missile and drone attacks targeting major energy facilities and airports in the Gulf region, including Saudi Arabia.
Signals of a rift are being detected elsewhere. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio skipped Saudi Arabia on his Middle East tour last week, visiting only Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia's top rival. In contrast, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman rejected an invitation to the Group of Seven (G7) summit in France in protest of the U.S. response to the war. This week, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister is set to visit China, a U.S. competitor.
The unstable relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia is expected to affect the implementation of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on ending the war between the United States and Iran. Article 6 of the MOU states, "The United States will work with regional partners to develop a finalized, mutually agreed plan for Iran's reconstruction and economic development of at least $300 billion." But Saudi Arabia has yet to pledge any funding. The NYT said, "Saudi officials are waiting to see the outcome of the agreement."