The Saudi Spoiler

On February 14, 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt met King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia on board the USS Quincy. Americans were having a love affair with their automobiles, and they needed a quick source of energy to fuel them.

Oil installations were rapidly built and defended by the United States in Saudi Arabia, and the Saudis approved the request to have US Air force pilots fly over them. The United States was then very concerned with the threat of the spread of communism throughout the Middle East. The US offered the Saudis security in exchange for their abundant oil wealth.

The first American Embassy was opened shortly thereafter in Dhahran. In 1950, Saudi Aramco was opened. In 1951, a Mutual Defense Assistance Agreement was signed between Saudi Arabia and the United States, based upon the foundation of “security for oil.”

Then in November of 2025, Saudi Arabia signed a robust Strategic Defense Agreement with the United States. Included in this is a $142 billion agreement, offering the Saudis advanced US military armaments and strengthening their security. It also provides Saudi Arabia with Major Non-NATO ally status.

This grants Saudi Arabia privileged access to U.S. defense systems, technologies, training, and military funding. This can possibly erode Israel’s reliance on American technology, making Saudi Arabia a more independent regional actor.

Over the years, the United States has invested $62 billion in Saudi Arabia. The Saudis have 1,564 US companies working on their soil.

In a significant reversal of US-Saudi relations, Saudi Arabia has denied the use of its airspace and the Prince Sultan airbase to US military flights.

This has led to a significant pause in President Trump’s mission of protecting ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Saudis have claimed that if the US were to have unrestricted flyovers of their territory, tensions would escalate in the region. What Riyadh actually fears is that the Iranians would directly target the Saudis and their oil fields.

President Trump has engaged in multiple telephone calls with Saudi leader Mohammed bin Salman. To the dismay of American officials, the US has deferred to the will of Mohammad bin Salman, and the President has abandoned the tanker escort program.

All of this comes as a surprise to Israeli military officials and defense planners. Israel feels that it is being abandoned to face down Hezbollah in Lebanon: Hamas in Gaza, which is supposed to be disarmed—but has refused to; Egypt, with their military buildup in the Sinai in contradistinction to their 1979 treaty with Israel; and the possibility of a Turkish presence in Syria, led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

And the distinct and near probability that the Israelis will be left all alone to face down an Iranian nuclear bomb.

It is about time the United States learns who their real friends are in the region.

Sarah N. Stern is Founder and President of EMET, a think tank and policy institute in Washington, DC.