Prince Turki bin Faisal al-Saud. FILE PHOTO
A senior member of the Saudi royal family has lamented the low level of ties between Riyadh and Washington, especially a lack of US support in confronting threats posed by Iran-backed Houthis.
Prince Turki al-Faisal – who is the former Saudi intelligence chief and a former ambassador to Washington -- made the remarks in a video interview with Saudi newspaper Arab News published on Monday.
"We've had our ups and downs over the years, and perhaps at this time it's one of the downs, particularly since the president of the United States in his election campaign said that he will make Saudi Arabia a pariah and of course he went on to practice what he preached", he said.
Al-Faisal also criticized Joe Biden's decision to end US support for the Saudi-led coalition’s offensive operations in Yemen.
Referring to attacks by the Houthis, he said, "Saudis consider the relationship as being strategic, but (feel) as being let down at a time when we thought that America and Saudi Arabia should be together in facing what we would consider to be a joint, not just irritant, but danger to the stability and security of the area”.
Western diplomats said late in March that Washington has recently increased military support for Riyadh in a bid to mend ties.
Houthis target Saudi energy facilities and civilian areas with drones and ballistic missiles, which Riyadh and other say are provided by Iran while the Houthis say the coalition carries out air strikes against Yemeni civilians in areas under its control. Houthis have launched dozens of cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia since September 2021.