Washington Shouldn’t be Surprised

Washington is unpleasantly surprised over OPEC’s production cut and accuses the organization of aligning with Russia. However, President Biden has no reason to be surprised considering his own reckless policy of selling out GCC interests in the Iran nuclear talks. America is not behaving with self-respect let alone with respect for the interests of its allies in the Middle East. Does Biden want cheaper oil? Well, then the price is ending the Iran nuclear talks and moving to implement Plan B. There are no free lunches in the real world of international politics and you are either allies and promote each others’ interests or you are not and then you don’t. Which way is it? Clearly now would be the most opportune time possible to implement Plan B and also help bring down the Iranian regime with a no-fly zone over Iran. Obviously MBS is signaling his displeasure over Washington sitting out this incredible opportunity to bring about regime change in Tehran. It is apparent that the Biden administration plans to continue to “negotiate” until the very last moment when there will be no choice but to strike the Iranian nuclear weapons program. One must surely ask, why increase the risks by waiting until the very last moment? MBS is adding an additional element to the calculus, namely the price of oil; Americans will have to pay significantly more for gasoline and diesel if the US government insists on procrastinating on implementing its Plan B. Why should Biden expect MBS to stand up for American interests if Biden isn’t standing up for Saudi interests?