New York Times: Saudi Arabia's $750 Billion Threat to the U.S.

The New York Times reports that Saudi Arabia has threatened the U.S. government and Congress that if the country is named in connection with the September 11 attacks in U.S. courts, it will sell hundreds of billions of dollars of its assets in the United States. This exclusive report published on Friday, April 15, states that Saudi Arabia has warned of strong opposition to the passage of a bill in Congress regarding this matter. According to the newspaper, if this bill is passed, U.S. courts could bring the Saudi government to trial for its role in the September 11, 2001 attacks. In response to the passage of this bill, Saudi Arabia has threatened to sell its assets in the U.S. amounting to $750 billion. Following this threatening message, which was personally conveyed to Washington by Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, the Obama administration has entered negotiations with members of Congress to block the bill's passage. The American newspaper describes its sources as 'government officials and aides to congressional representatives from both major parties.' The report notes that the Saudi threat has been a topic of intense discussion among congressional representatives and officials from the State and Defense Departments in recent weeks. If the bill approaches the stage of approval, Saudi Arabia would be forced to transfer its $750 billion in assets in the United States before they risk being frozen by U.S. courts. Some economic experts doubt that Saudi Arabia would take such action, as it would be difficult to implement and would cripple the Saudi economy. Regardless, this threat is another sign of escalating tensions in Saudi-U.S. relations. The relationship between the Obama administration and the Saudi government has soured since the Obama administration began negotiations with the Islamic Republic over Iran's nuclear activities, ultimately leading to the so-called JCPOA agreement in the summer of 2015. This is occurring while Barack Obama is scheduled to visit Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, to meet with King Salman and other Saudi officials this Wednesday. Although Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the New York terrorist attack, was from a family close to the Saudi government and 15 of the 19 perpetrators of these attacks were Saudi nationals, Saudi officials have consistently denied any involvement in this terrorist incident since the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York, which resulted in the deaths of over three thousand people. The special commission established to investigate the event ultimately stated in its report that 'there is no evidence or documentation' indicating investment in al-Qaeda by the Saudi government or senior officials of the country. However, a 2002 investigation conducted in the U.S. Congress mentioned 'evidence' suggesting that some 'Saudi officials who were residing in the United States in 2001' were involved in the conspiracy to attack the Twin Towers in Manhattan. According to the New York Times, the results of this 28-page investigation remain classified.