Reuters: MBS using oil card for US recognition

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According to Reuters, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) could care less what the US President thinks of him. In an interview for The Atlantic, the Prince said he was not concerned with Biden misunderstanding him.

Sources close to MBS reported that the prince is leaning to his oil power to achieve his goals: an acknowledgment from Biden that he is the true ruler of Saudi Arabia and the stronger hand in the war on Yemen.

One reason MBS has been resisting US efforts to pump more crude to cut the price of oil, which has risen since Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, according to the sources, is to keep Riyadh's oil partnership with Moscow alive.

A source familiar with the Saudi modus operandi told Reuters that "the Saudis have demands too, before they meet any of the U.S. requests. The Yemen file and the recognition of the crown prince as the de facto ruler are on top of these."

A second source said MBS' "only card is oil policy to press the Americans to give him what he wants, which is recognition and weapons or Yemen."

Riyadh-Washington ties were strained when Biden revealed a US intelligence report accusing MBS of corruption and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Witnesses have refused to reveal their identities fearing the reaction of Saudi state security and MBS.

So far, Biden has declined to speak to MBS, claiming his father King Salman is his equal, despite the fact that the young Prince practically administers the country and has a tight connection with former President Donald Trump.

"Simply, I do not care," the Crown Prince was quoted as saying. "It's up to him to think about the interests of America."

Washington would prefer the producer coalition, known as OPEC+, to boost output faster than it has been doing since August, but just a few nations, notably de facto OPEC leader Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have spare capacity (UAE).

Amos Hochstein, the US State Department's special envoy for energy issues, traveled to Riyadh last month for talks about how to manage the possible impact on oil markets in case of escalation in Ukraine, which occurred a week after.

Two birds with one stone

James Dorsey, a senior fellow at the National University of Singapore's Middle East Institute, says MBS is seeking to kill two birds with one stone by not acting against Russia. "Keep the door open to Moscow and give President Joe Biden some payback for his refusal to engage with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman."

Read more: US-allied Gulf states have so far not reacted to Russia's special operation; why?

Sources indicated that MBS seems eager to hold dialogue with the US, as he canceled his attendance at the Beijing Winter Olympics to remain with his father during a call with Joe Biden on February 9.

During their call, the two discussed strategic relations between the two countries and developments in the Middle East, including Iran and Yemen.

The White House mentioned that Biden reaffirmed his country's "commitment to support" Riyadh's war on Yemen.

During his aforementioned interview, MBS implied that if ties with Washington deteriorated, other countries, including China, would be more than willing to step in.

"Where is the potential in the world today?" he said. "It's in Saudi Arabia. And if you want to miss it, I believe other people in the East are going to be super happy."

MBS does not view "Israel" as enemy, but possible ally

Riyadh does not view the Israeli occupation as an enemy, but a possible ally, Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Thursday.

"Israel" could be an ally for Saudi Arabia on many mutual "interests", but "Tel Aviv" must "solve some issues before reaching that point, including solving their issues with the Palestinians."

The "issue" in question in relation to the Palestinians has to do with the Israelis occupying Palestinian land, killing Palestinians in cold blood, confiscating property, and lately working on forcefully displacing more Palestinians from their homes in occupied Al-Quds.