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US Senator: All US military forces to be withdrawn from Saudi Arabia if oil crisis unresolved

April 9, 2020 at 3:02 pm

US Congressman Kevin Cramer, 14 March 2013 [Gage Skidmore/Flickr]

The United States must pull out all of its troops and military forces from Saudi Arabia if the Kingdom refuses to lower its oil output and resolve the oil price crisis, a US senator has stated.

In a statement released on Twitter yesterday, Senator Kevin Cramer said: “They pretend to be an ally, but they’re using COVID-19 to bankrupt America shale.” He called for the US to “pull our troops out of the kingdom if they don’t stop waging war on American jobs.”

Cramer added that the US government may begin enforcing tariffs or imposing an embargo on the Gulf kingdom in order to prevent Saudi crude oil from being exported into the US.

His was joined by Senator Dan Sullivan who echoed the urge for the US to withdraw all its military forces and defence systems from the kingdom if it does not comply with the demand to cut oil production and stabilise global oil markets, which have caused US energy companies to suffer significantly.

READ: Will the coronavirus claim Saudi’s ‘Vision 2030’ as its victim?

The two lawmakers are reportedly set to conduct a call with Saudi officials on Saturday in order to resolve the situation. The news comes as a video conference for Organisation of Petroleum Economic Countries (OPEC) member states and allies is being held today regarding the possibility of cutting oil production to stabilise markets. It will be followed by a virtual meeting between energy ministers of the G20 countries tomorrow who will discuss the stability of the energy market.

The ongoing oil price crisis that has shaken global markets over the past two months started from when Saudi Arabia sharply increased its oil production which resulted in oil prices dropping as low as $25 per barrel. It had even previously been predicted that this oil price war could reduce prices further to $10 per barrel.

One result of the crisis is that Saudi-US relations have subsequently become strained in recent weeks, with the America being one of the primary stakeholders impacted in this oil price war that is said to be the worst in a hundred years. In efforts to stabilise the situation, the US has reportedly taken steps in recent weeks to bring stability to the market with President Donald Trump sending a special envoy to the kingdom to negotiate, as well as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s call on Saudi Arabia to take responsibility for the situation.

READ: Will one of the consequences of the pandemic be the end of OPEC?

The call for the US military withdrawal also comes as a letter signed by 50 Republican House of Representatives gave Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) yesterday warned that if the kingdom does not cut oil production the US would retaliate.

The representatives said that the economic and military cooperation and bilateral relations between the two allies would be in jeopardy if Saudi Arabia does not comply. “If the Kingdom fails to act fairly to reverse this manufactured energy crisis, we would encourage any reciprocal responses that the U.S. government deems appropriate,” the letter read.

“Failure to address this energy crisis will jeopardize the joint efforts between our nations to collaborate economically and militarily,” it continued. “The U.S. military presence in the Middle East region has maintained the stability that provides for the economic prosperity and ensures the security of our two nations.”