U.S. sanctions on Iran are scheduled to go back into effect on Nov. 4. On that day, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) will breathe a massive sigh of relief.
After weeks of international backlash over the murder of my colleague https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/arab-states-fear-khashoggi-case-could-trigger-regional-instability/2018/10/23/b2ef2e2e-d6ea-11e8-a10f-b51546b10756_story.html?utm_term=.a0c7bcd80dad (Jamal Khashoggi), MBS will read Trump’s punitive measures against Iran as a green light for him to once again do as he pleases.
But that doesn’t have to be the case.
For years, Saudi Arabia has gotten away with funding terrorism and extremism, suppressing the rights of its people and silencing its critics, often by killing them. These are all activities for which the United States rightfully punishes Iran. But it allows the Saudis to do the same things without reproach.
It is time for that double standard to end.
The butchering of Khashoggi and Riyadh’s attempts to cover it up offer a necessary moment of clarity. They remind us that our relationship with Saudi Arabia is purely transactional, not one based on common values.
Our relationship with Israel is strong and deep because of our shared Judeo-Christian values — and the many citizens of both countries who embody them. Our alliance with Saudi Arabia is based solely on oil, weapons and money.
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