House Democrats Move to Pull US Weapons From Saudi Arabia, UAE in Retaliation for OPEC Oil Cuts
19:03 GMT 06.10.2022 (Updated: 10:58 GMT 05.03.2023)
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For years, Democrats pressured the former Trump administration to stop supporting the Saudi-led war in Yemen. However, when Joe Biden became president, he introduced only moderate changes to US policy. Now, refusing to cooperate with the US’ proxy war against Russia could be what gets US troops withdrawn.
House Democrats have introduced a bill to withdraw US air defense systems from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in retaliation for production cuts by the OPEC+ petroleum cartel, of which both nations are a part. The defensive systems are deployed to protect the two nations from missile strikes by the Yemeni Houthi movement, which is fighting an eight-year-long war against a joint Saudi-led coalition.
"Saudi Arabia and the UAE’s drastic cut in oil production, despite President Biden’s overtures to both countries in recent months, is a hostile act against the United States and a clear signal that they have chosen to side with Russia in its war against Ukraine," read a Wednesday statement by US Reps. Tom Molinowski (D-NJ), Sean Casten (D-IL), and Susan Wild (D-PA).
"Both countries have long relied on an American military presence in the Gulf to protect their security and oil fields. We see no reason why American troops and contractors should continue to provide this service to countries that are actively working against us. If Saudi Arabia and the UAE want to help [Russia President Vladimir] Putin, they should look to him for their defense."
Ironically, the US has threatened Riyadh with sanctions if it were to buy S-400 air defense systems from Russia.
They claimed that "by significantly boosting global oil prices, OPEC’s decision appears designed to increase Russia’s oil export revenues, enabling Putin to continue his war crimes in Ukraine, and undercutting Western sanctions."
Copy-Paste Bill
The bill is titled the “Strained Partnership Act,” and is a near-exact copy of a bill introduced in March 2020 by Republicans that targeted Saudi Arabia, except that it also includes air defenses deployed in the UAE. That bill was motivated by a perception that Riyadh’s decisions on oil production are hostile to the US if they don’t take US policy needs into consideration.
Army Spc. Timothy Jones operates a Patriot missile battery in Southwest Asia, Feb. 8, 2010. The Defense Department announced Oct. 11, 2019, that it will deploy two Patriot missile batteries to Saudi Arabia.
“Saudi Arabia has shown indifference, if not malintent, for American energy producers during its feud with Russia. These are not the actions of a supposed ally or friend, and they will not be tolerated,” said US Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-SD). “US troops are deployed to other countries to serve our national interests, not theirs. With friends like this, who needs enemies?”
At the time, Russia and OPEC were locked in a dispute about oil prices, with Riyadh wanting to slash global petroleum output to keep prices high as COVID-19 lockdowns spread around the globe, bringing the world economy to a halt. Russia, the world’s largest oil exporter, wanted lower oil prices, but had agreed to coordinate output with OPEC under the OPEC+ umbrella.
OPEC-US Negotiations
OPEC Secretary-General Haitham Al Ghais said the group’s Wednesday decision to reduce its collective petroleum output by 2 million barrels per day beginning in November was based on bringing “security [and] stability to the energy markets.”
Many members have failed to meet production quotas for the last several months, although Saudi Arabia is not one of them, and according to OilPrice.com, the production cuts could see Riyadh reduce output by 500,000 barrels per day by itself.
US President Joe Biden previously made a failed bid in July to convince the Saudi monarchy to increase oil production and bring down oil prices. The Western boycott of Russian energy exports has helped push crude oil prices higher, helping to arrest economic growth in Western nations already battling record-high inflation.
The White House has expressed similar feelings about OPEC’s move, saying in a statement that Biden was “disappointed by the shortsighted decision by OPEC+ to cut production quotas while the global economy is dealing with the continued negative impact of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.”
Biden hasn’t commented on the bill, but did mention the Department of Energy would release another 10 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve next month to compensate for the reduction.
People inspect the site of airstrikes by a Saudi-led coalition on a workshop, in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021. The coalition fighting Iran-backed rebels in Yemen accelerated airstrikes on the capital and elsewhere in the conflict-stricken country in recent weeks, as government forces advanced in the west coast and the key province of Marib, officials said Sunday.
© AP Photo / Hani Mohammed
What of the War?
When Biden was on the campaign trail, he pledged to end US support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, which by United Nations estimates has killed more than 377,000 people since 2015. However, after taking office in 2021, Biden only limited US weapons sales to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi on a case-by-case basis, and even deployed new air defense systems to both countries, including Patriot and THAAD systems.
The Saudi-led alliance has been fighting to restore the Yemeni government to power since it was overthrown by the Houthi movement in 2015. The Zaidi Shiite group came to power on a wave of popular fury over a proposed federalization plan they said would amplify poverty in the country’s poorest regions, and over the government’s slashing of fuel subsidies.
Worldwide fury at the civilian deaths caused by the Saudi-Emirati bombing campaign helped push Congressional Democrats to pass measures demanding the US end its support for the war, but then-US President Donald Trump refused to take action, saying Saudi Arabia was an essential US ally against Iran.
As the war has worn on, the Houthis have turned the tide against the Saudis, launching missile and drone strikes deep into their territory, targeting air bases, command facilities, and the petroleum industry, and turning it into a war of attrition.
As the ceasefire called in April showed signs of imminent collapse on Monday, the Houthis warned foreign oil companies about the possibility of new strikes on Saudi and Emirati soil.
