What was the secret of CIA director’s trip to Saudi Arabia?
A US newspaper reported on the reasons for the CIA director’s secret trip to Saudi Arabia last month, citing China and oil as the reason for the trip.
Last month, as part of a regional tour, CIA Director William Burns secretly met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, a port city in western Saudi Arabia. The unusual encounter, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, is the first known confrontation between a senior US spy and the real ruler of Saudi Arabia.
The American newspaper “Intercept” continued with this introduction, US President Joe Biden has not yet refused to meet with Muhammad bin Salman due to the role of the Saudi Crown Prince in ordering the assassination of “Jamal Khashgechi”, a critical Saudi journalist. In February, however, Biden sought to repair relations with Saudi Arabia and called on King Salman to increase oil production in exchange for US military support to “defend” Riyadh against Yemen’s Ansar al-Islam, but reports indicate that Saudi Arabia rejected Biden’s request.
According to the report, last month Burns again called on Saudi Arabia to increase oil production, and Riyadh announced last week that it was committed to its oil production plan, so Riyadh once again rejected the US request to increase oil production.
Intercept: The United States has twice asked Saudi Arabia to increase oil production, and both times it has faced opposition from Riyadh.
According to Intercept, a CIA spokesman declined to comment on Burns’ trip to Saudi Arabia last month.
Intercept sources include a U.S. intelligence official, two sources close to the US intelligence community, a source close to members of the Saudi royal family, and an American think tank official interviewed in connection with the report.
