AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The Washington Post, in a report on the escalation of security and economic pressures on Saudi Arabia, reported the limited nature of Washington's support for Riyadh in the current circumstances; a situation that, according to the newspaper, shows that the decades-long security partnership between Saudi Arabia and America has faced serious limitations at a moment when Riyadh needs it more than ever.
According to this report, attacks attributed to groups aligned with Iran have placed pressure on Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure, military bases, and energy transfer routes, and simultaneously, the advance of Ansarullah forces on the Red Sea coast has increased concerns about the country's oil exports. Despite these conditions, Donald Trump has so far not undertaken a new military intervention to directly support Saudi Arabia.
The Washington Post, citing two Yemeni officials close to the Saudi-backed government, wrote that Riyadh's requests for assistance from Washington have not been met with a practical response. One of these officials said the Yemeni government has been disappointed by "the Trump administration's unwillingness to participate in the ongoing battles against the Houthis," and the requests for help have apparently been "neither heard nor seen" in Washington.
Michael Ratney, the former US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, also said in explicit remarks about the current situation that Saudi Arabia "has invested for decades in its military partnership with America precisely for such a moment"; but now that the moment has arrived, "America is not stepping forward."
This situation comes as Riyadh-Washington relations have been shaped over decades on the basis of a strategic partnership; a relationship that the Washington Post refers to as the model of "oil for security." In recent years, Saudi Arabia has also placed greater emphasis on developing relations with America and has pursued arms contracts and extensive investments.
However, the Washington Post report shows that these extensive investments have so far not meant America's commitment to direct military intervention in the current crisis. The strategic defense agreement signed between the two countries last year also, according to this newspaper, did not include a mutual commitment to military defense of one another.
A senior Trump administration official, in an interview with the Washington Post, claimed that America's focus is on "protecting core national security interests," including freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and "empowering regional partners to manage and resolve the region's security challenges." This official did not provide an explanation regarding Saudi Arabia's request for military assistance or Trump's conversation with Mohammed bin Salman.
According to the Washington Post, this very approach has now placed Riyadh in a position where, despite decades of investment to create a security partnership with America, it is forced to bear an important part of the burden of confronting these threats without direct Washington intervention, in the face of escalating military threats and pressure on its energy infrastructure.
**************
End/ 345E
