MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th June, 2023) Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman promised major economic implications for the United States last fall after Washington threatened to impose "consequences" on Riyadh for cutting oil production, The Washington Post reported on Thursday, citing leaked intelligence.
In 2022, US President Joe Biden vowed to apply economic measures to Saudi Arabia after it reduced oil production due to high energy prices and the upcoming US midterm elections, the report said.
According to the leaked documents obtained by The Washington Post, while Riyadh publicly resorted to diplomatic statements to defend its decisions, the prince privately threatened to dramatically reshape Saudi-US relations and inflict economic pain on Washington if it took action against Riyadh.
The US intelligence briefing on bin Salman's words was shared on Discord as part of a major leak of classified documents arranged by US Airman Jack Teixeira, the newspaper reported, adding that it remains unclear whether the document was transmitted to US officials or intercepted via electronic wiretap.
The US intelligence is not aware of any such threats from Saudi Arabia, a National Security Council source told the Washington Post on condition of anonymity.
"In general, such documents often represent only one snapshot of a moment in time and cannot possibly offer the full picture," the official was quoted in the report as saying.
The US maintains its partnership with Saudi Arabia as it is an important partner in promoting mutual interests in the region, the official added.
