SECRET WEAPON

Saudi Arabia Could Give U.S. Defense Tech to Russia After Oil Row, Senator Fears

Sen. Richard Blumenthal says he’s seeking reassurances from the Pentagon about the risk.

A senior lawmaker has raised concerns that Saudi Arabia could give sensitive U.S defense technology to Russia after relations between the White House and Riyadh soured over oil. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)—a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee—spoke of his alarm at the possibility in an interview with The Guardian after energy cartel OPEC decided to cut oil production in a move seen in Washington, D.C., as the kingdom siding with Moscow in its war in Ukraine. Blumenthal said he would “dig deeper into the risk” in talks with Pentagon officials. “I want some reassurances that they are on top of it and if there are risks, I want to determine what can be done to mitigate those risks immediately,” he added. Blumenthal previously called for a year-long freeze on arms sales to Saudi Arabia citing a “national security imperative” to avoid giving sophisticated weapons systems to a “country that has aligned itself with an adversary.”