"Saudi Still an Outcast?" Smile in Response... Saudi Crown Prince Mocks Biden

After Quantum Talks, US Reporters Ambush Biden with Past "Wangtta" Remarks... Video Spreads on SNS
Saudi Side: "No Discussion of Oil Production Increase During Biden's Visit... Additional Increase Impossible"

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, attending the 'Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) +3 Summit' held in Jeddah on the 16th (local time). Photo by Reuters, Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Se-eun] The powerful figure in Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom U.S. President Joe Biden once threatened to "ostracize," has attracted attention for his smirking expression.

On the 17th, a video was posted on Twitter showing the scene after the bilateral meeting between President Biden and Crown Prince Mohammed the previous day.

In the video, a foreign journalist asked President Biden, "President Biden, is Saudi Arabia still a pariah?" Earlier, President Biden had pointed to Crown Prince Mohammed as being behind the assassination of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi and stated he would "make him an international pariah."

President Biden did not respond to the reporter's question. Meanwhile, Crown Prince Mohammed, who was only staring at the documents placed before him at that moment, was captured with a faint smile.

Foreign media described the Crown Prince's expression as a "smirk," meaning a self-satisfied smile after feeling something alone.

Just before Biden was asked the question, another reporter asked Crown Prince Mohammed if he intended to apologize to Khashoggi's family, but he showed no reaction and ignored the press.

Peter Alexander, an NBC reporter who first raised questions related to Khashoggi, recounted the situation, saying, "Crown Prince Mohammed smiled slightly, and then a Saudi official grabbed my arm tightly."

This has led to analysis that despite criticism of a "rollback in human rights policy," President Biden, meeting Crown Prince Mohammed for the first time, suffered a kind of humiliation.

President Biden's visit to the Middle East this time was aimed at calming the global surge in prices, including oil prices. His main goal during his first visit to the Middle East since taking office was to reach an agreement on increasing oil production. Saudi Arabia, along with the UAE, has been considered an oil-producing country with remaining capacity to increase production.

"Is Saudi Arabia still an outcast?" Muhammad laughed in front of Biden. Photo by AFP, Yonhap News

On the 16th, President Biden attended the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)+3 summit and said, "We agreed on the need to ensure sufficient supply (of oil)," adding, "Energy companies have already increased production, and we look forward to what will happen in the coming months."

However, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan drew a line during a press conference, stating that discussions on increasing oil production did not take place during President Biden's visit.

Crown Prince Mohammed also asserted, "Saudi Arabia has already announced plans to increase production to its maximum capacity of 13 million barrels per day," adding, "Additional production beyond this is impossible."

Moreover, Crown Prince Mohammed blamed the surge in prices on Western-led green policies. He claimed, "Unrealistic energy policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions cause energy price increases and inflation," and warned, "This will raise unemployment and lead to serious social problems."

As a result, contrary to U.S. expectations, there are criticisms that President Biden has not achieved concrete results in terms of increasing oil production.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.