Political Activist:

US Distrustful of Saudi Arabia

Rasa - The repeated defeats and failures of Riyadh in the regional wars, including in Syria and Yemen, have ruined the US confidence in the Saudi officials, a political activist said.

News ID: 426797

Date: 24 January 2017 - 22:56

RNA - "Based on political assessments, Washington has changed its policies on Saudi Arabia since Riyadh and its failed policies have failed to bear positive results in the political developments in the region," Faisal Abdolrahman told on Tuesday.

Noting that former US President Barack Obama had full trust in Saudi Arabia, the activist said, "When Obama saw Riyadh's repeated failures, he lost his confidence."

Abdolrahman referred to the approval of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) by the US, and said it was an instance of Washington's loss of confidence in Riyadh.

The JASTA allows attack survivors and relatives of attack victims (including the September 11 terrorist attacks for which Saudi Arabia is blamed) to file lawsuits against foreign countries for acts of terrorism that kill Americans on US soil.

After the approval of the law, Saudi Arabia warned it would pull its money out of the US economy, selling up to $750 billion in US treasury securities and other assets, before lawsuits demanding compensation start pouring in and put these assets in jeopardy.

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