Saudi Arabia manufactures ballistic missiles with the help of China
4 Min Read
Informed sources have revealed to CNN that during the past few months, some members of Congress were briefed on new intelligence about the transfer of Chinese ballistic missile technology to Saudi Arabia.
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Satellite images reveal that the Kingdom is manufacturing ballistic missiles
US intelligence agencies have assessed that Saudi Arabia is now actively manufacturing its own ballistic missiles with the help of China.
Sources revealed to CNN that Saudi Arabia has previously purchased ballistic missiles from China but has never been able to make its own — until now, according to three sources familiar with the latest intelligence.
Satellite images also reveal that the Kingdom is currently manufacturing the weapons in at least one location.
According to two sources familiar with the latest assessments, "US officials from a variety of agencies, including the White House National Security Council, have been briefed in recent months on classified intelligence revealing multiple large-scale transfers of sensitive ballistic missile technology between China and Saudi Arabia."
The sources revealed that "the Biden administration is preparing to sanction some of the organizations involved in the transfers," although some in Congress "are concerned that the White House is not ready to impose significant sanctions on the Saudi government."
According to the Wall Street Journal, the Saudi efforts to manufacture its ballistic missiles are the "latest in a series of moves by US allies in the Middle East to increase military cooperation with China" in a direction that has angered the Biden administration during a period of "increasing hostility between Washington and Beijing."
US President Donald Trump's former administration "withheld intelligence information from key members of Congress about Saudi Arabia's cooperation with China to develop a ballistic missile program", which angered Democrat members who obtained this information outside normal government channels and concluded that the Trump administration deliberately dropped a series of reports that should have been submitted to Congress.
This also sparked criticism from Democrats that the Trump administration "has been too lenient with Saudi Arabia," while experts believed that Trump's position encouraged the Saudis to "continue to expand their ballistic missile program."
US oil race
This comes amid rising tensions between Saudi Arabia and the US. An article written in Bloomberg analyzes US President Joe Biden's struggle with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to get America's hands on more Saudi Arabian oil. Inflation in the United States is upon its people, felt by the rich and poor, and the price of petrol is on the rise in parallel - increasing daily.
In private and in public, US envoys have spent time trying to convince Saudi Arabia to provide more crude oil in the nearest time possible; however, the one with the ultimate power to not only shift the oil prices but also fulfill those demands is bin Salman, who Biden hasn't spoken to yet since assuming office.
Without directly addressing MBS, Joe Biden threw a comment, “There’s a lot of Middle Eastern folks who want to talk to me... I’m not sure I’m going to talk to them.”
Bin Salman Retaliating against Biden
The Intercept US website described Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as "a murderous maniac in Riyadh" over the latter's direct involvement in the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
The website mentioned that bin Salman is trying to take revenge on the Democrats and US President Joe Biden through raising gas prices and increasing global inflation rates.
The site attributes this move to the Democratic Party and Biden's recent stances toward the Kingdom.
The website also indicated that bin Salman refuses to comply with Biden's calls for reducing gas prices because he has not yet met with Biden and due to the US withdrawal from the war on Yemen.
