Saudi: Good old days with Washington are gone, never to return

The former Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki Al-Faisal said that relations between the kingdom and the US have changed and will never return to how they were.

“There is going to have to be a recalibration of our relationship with America – how far we can go with our dependence on America. How much can we rely on steadfastness from the American leadership. What is it that makes for our joint benefits to come together,” the prince, who also serves as his country’s ambassador in Washington, told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Wednesday.

“And I don’t think that we should expect any new president in America to go back to, as I said, the yesteryear days when things were different,” Al-Faisal added.

The prince made his remarks as US President Barack Obama visits the Gulf where he met with Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz.

Obama’s second term as president has witnessed several disagreements with the Gulf kingdom including his refusal to use military force against the Assad regime in Syria, and finally by the nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia’s sectarian and political rival, Iran.