US President Donald Trump spoke on Friday to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about Middle East stability and the oil market, the White House said, after tensions with Iran prompted a rise in oil prices.

“The two leaders discussed Saudi Arabia’s critical role in ensuring stability in the Middle East and in the global oil market. They also discussed the threat posed by the Iranian regime’s escalatory behavior,” White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said in a statement. </s> U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are seen during the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina November 30, 2018. REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump spoke on Friday to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about Middle East stability and the oil market, the White House said, after tensions with Iran prompted a rise in oil prices.

“The two leaders discussed Saudi Arabia’s critical role in ensuring stability in the Middle East and in the global oil market. They also discussed the threat posed by the Iranian regime’s escalatory behavior,” White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said in a statement.

The phone call took place in the wake of Iran’s shooting down of an unmanned U.S. drone in the Gulf region, which prompted Trump to prepare but ultimately hold back from launching a retaliatory attack.

There was no word from the White House statement on whether Trump raised with the crown prince the death last October of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

A 100-page report by the U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, Agnes Callamard, earlier this week accused Saudi Arabia of a “deliberate, premeditated execution” and said the crown prince should be investigated for it. </s> U.S. President Donald Trump says Saudi Arabia’s king “might not be there for two weeks” without U.S. military support, further increasing his pressure on one of America’s closest Mideast allies over rising oil prices.

As crude oil prices reach a four-year high, Trump repeatedly has demanded OPEC and Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, push prices down. However, analysts are warning prices could go up to $100 a barrel as the world’s production is already stretched and Trump’s sanctions on Iran’s oil industry take effect in early November.

READ MORE: Saudi king boosts ties to Donald Trump by naming son as U.S. envoy

Criticizing America’s longstanding military relationships with allies has been a hallmark of Trump’s presidential campaign and his time in office. Trump returned to that theme Tuesday night in Southaven, Mississippi, mentioning both Japan and South Korea.

However, Trump’s comments on Saudi Arabia implied the kingdom’s Al Saud monarchy, which oversees the holiest sites in Islam, would collapse without American military support.

“We protect Saudi Arabia – would you say they’re rich?” Trump asked the cheering crowd. “And I love the king, King Salman, but I said, ‘King we’re protecting you. You might not be there for two weeks without us. You have to pay for your military, you have to pay.”‘

Trump didn’t elaborate on when he made the comments to Saud Arabia’s 82-year-old monarch. Trump and King Salman last shared a reported telephone call on Saturday, in which they discussed “efforts to maintain supplies to ensure the stability of the oil market and ensure the growth of the global economy,” according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency.

There was no immediate reaction Wednesday in Saudi Arabia to Trump’s remarks. Riyadh has worked to cultivate warm relations with Trump after having rocky moments with former President Barack Obama.

Saudi Arabia welcomed Trump for his first overseas trip as president. Trump’s administration, particularly his son-in-law Jared Kushner, has sought a close relationship with King Salman’s son Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s crown price and next in line to the throne.

But oil prices seem to be getting in the way, especially as benchmark Brent crude oil is near $85 a barrel – a four-year high. Trump in July tweeted without evidence that Saudi Arabia would increase its production “maybe up to 2,000,000 barrels” a day. Saudi Arabia currently produces some 10 million barrels of crude oil a day. Its record is 10.72 million barrels a day.

Meanwhile, U.S. gasoline prices are up ahead of November midterm elections in which Trump already faces political headwinds. The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in the U.S. is $2.88, up from $2.55 a year ago, according to AAA.

Trump criticized oil producers in his speech before the U.N. General Assembly last week.

“OPEC and OPEC nations are, as usual, ripping off the rest of the world, and I don’t like it. Nobody should like it,” he said. “We defend many of these nations for nothing, and then they take advantage of us by giving us high oil prices. Not good. We want them to stop raising prices. We want them to start lowering prices and they must contribute substantially to military protection from now on.”

WATCH: President Trump arrives in Saudi Arabia on first international trip </s> US President Donald Trump said close ally Saudi Arabia and its king would not last "for two weeks" without US military support at a rally in Mississippi on Tuesday.

"We protect Saudi Arabia. Would you say they're rich. And I love the King, King Salman. But I said 'King - we're protecting you - you might not be there for two weeks without us - you have to pay for your military,'" the president said to cheers at the rally.

Trump did not say when he made those remarks to the Saudi monarch, but they come amid increasing oil prices in the US.

Saudi Arabia is the world's top oil exporter and the de facto leader of the oil producing bloc, OPEC, which has been criticised by Trump for high oil prices.

Trump called King Salman on Saturday to discuss efforts to maintain supplies to ensure oil market stability and global economic growth, according to Saudi state news agency SPA.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman traveled to Kuwait last weekend to speak with Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, reportedly about increasing oil production.

No further developments have surfaced from the Kuwait meeting but media reports said the Gulf crisis was also on the agenda of the talks.

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York last month, Trump said OPEC members were "as usual ripping off the rest of the world".

Oil prices are on the rise. A barrel of oil currently costs about $75, continuing a steady increase over the past year. The price per barrel was around $50 in October 2017.

The average cost of a gallon (3.78 litres) of petrol in the US was $3 in May, according to AP. Despite the harsh words, the Trump administration has had a close relationship with Saudi Arabia, which it views as a bulwark against Iran's ambitions in the region.

Trump made Saudi Arabia his first stop on his maiden international trip as president last year, shortly before Bahrain, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia imposed a blockade on Qatar, alleging support of terror organisations and decrying what they see as its close relationship with Iran.

"We defend many of these nations for nothing, and then they take advantage of us by giving us high oil prices. Not good. We want them to stop raising prices, we want them to start lowering prices," Trump said.

The US military was stationed in Saudi Arabia from the first Gulf War against Iraq in 1990 to 2003, when then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld announced pullout.

The presence of the US military in Saudi Arabia, home to the two holiest sites in Islam – Mecca and Medina – was strongly objected to by most of the world’s Muslim population, according to opinion polls published by Gallup in 2009.

Qatar hosts the largest US military base in the region.

Trump has also pressed other US allies, such as Japan, South Korea and Germany, to take more of the financial burden of their defence. </s> SOUTHAVEN, Miss. (Reuters) - President Donald Trump made an undiplomatic remark about close ally Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, saying he warned Saudi Arabia’s King Salman he would not last in power “for two weeks” without the backing of the U.S. military.

FILE PHOTO: Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud welcomes U.S. President Donald Trump during a reception ceremony in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 20, 2017. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS

“We protect Saudi Arabia. Would you say they’re rich. And I love the King, King Salman. But I said ‘King - we’re protecting you - you might not be there for two weeks without us - you have to pay for your military,’” Trump said to cheers at a rally in Southaven, Mississippi.

Trump did not say when he made those remarks to the Saudi monarch.

Despite the harsh words, the Trump administration has had a close relationship with Saudi Arabia, which it views as a bulwark against Iran’s ambitions in the region.

Trump made Saudi Arabia his first stop on his maiden international trip as president last year.

Trump called King Salman on Saturday and they discussed efforts being made to maintain supplies to ensure oil market stability and global economic growth, according to Saudi state news agency SPA.

Saudi Arabia is the world’s top oil exporter and the de facto leader of OPEC, which has been criticized by Trump for high oil prices.

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York last month, Trump said OPEC members were “as usual ripping off the rest of the world.”

“We defend many of these nations for nothing, and then they take advantage of us by giving us high oil prices. Not good. We want them to stop raising prices, we want them to start lowering prices,” Trump said.

He has also pressed other U.S. allies, such as Japan, South Korea and Germany, to take more of the financial burden of their defense. </s> The US President Donald Trump spoke separately on Friday with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, United Arab Emirates Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the White House said in a statement. Trump told them that unity among Washington’s Arab partners was essential to promoting regional stability and countering the threat of Iran, the statement said.

“The president also emphasized that all countries must follow through on commitments from the Riyadh Summit to defeat terrorism, cut off funding for terrorist groups, and combat extremist ideology,” it said. Trump also spoke to Qatar’s al-Thani on Thursday. Trump told a news conference on Thursday that he would be willing to step in and mediate a dispute among the US-allied Arab states and Qatar, and said he thought a deal could come quickly.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain cut diplomatic and trade links with Qatar on June 5, suspending air and shipping routes with the world’s biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas, which is home to the region’s biggest US military base. The nations say Doha supports regional foe Iran and Islamists, charges Qatar’s leaders deny.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App </s> President Donald Trump soaked up the grandeur of Saudi Arabia on his first foreign stop as president last year and envisioned huge benefits for the United States in building closer ties with the repressive and oil-rich desert kingdom.

Now, the White House relationship with Riyadh is imperiled over the mysterious disappearance of a Saudi writer, and the situation is creating friction between the Trump administration and members of Congress demanding to know if the columnist for The Washington Post was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey.

Trump said he has talked to officials at the highest level of the kingdom and is “demanding everything” to explain how Jamal Khashoggi, an activist who had been critical of Saudi leaders, vanished after he walked into the consulate in Istanbul to get documents he needed to get married.

Turkish authorities claim Khashoggi, who resided in the United States, was killed by members of an elite Saudi “assassination squad.” The kingdom describes the allegation as “baseless.” But if Saudi Arabia is found to be complicit in his disappearance or death, the warm U.S.-Saudi relationship — and even hopes for Middle East peace — could be upended.

A senior administration official said Friday that the U.S. is in ongoing contact with Turkish and Saudi officials about the case. The U.S. believes it is essential that Turkish authorities — with full, transparent support from the Saudi government — are able to conduct a thorough investigation and officially release the results, the official said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly, said the U.S. supports Turkish investigators’ efforts, will not prejudge the outcome of the official investigation, but stands ready to assist.

Trump said Thursday the U.S. had “investigators over there and we’re working with Turkey” and Saudi Arabia. But he has provided no details.

Trump has backed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s ambitious campaign to modernize the conservative kingdom and its economy. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who exchanges phone and text messages with the young crown prince, was instrumental in last year’s deal to sell $110 billion in U.S. weapons to the kingdom.

But even before Khashoggi vanished, concerns were mounting in Congress over Saudi Arabia’s policies and the crown prince’s aggressive steps to silence his critics. And now there are calls on Capitol Hill for the U.S. to halt arms sales to the kingdom, and Khashoggi’s disappearance could galvanize more opposition from lawmakers and pressure Trump to rethink his relations with Saudi Arabia.

Trump on Thursday pronounced U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia “excellent” and said he doesn’t want to scuttle arms deals with Riyadh because it means tens of millions of dollars pouring into the U.S. economy. He said the kingdom would simply buy the weapons from Russia or China instead.

“If it turns out to be as bad as it might be, there are certainly other ways of handling this situation,” he said without elaborating.

Much of how the U.S. responds will depend on whether evidence surfaces that proves Saudi Arabia is responsible for Khashoggi’s death.

Trump will have to craft a “calibrated response,” said Jon Alterman, who directs the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “He doesn’t like that approach. The president likes complete wins.”

The close ties between the Trump White House and the kingdom were in part forged by a friendship between two young princes: Last spring, Kushner and the crown prince met formally for the first time as a late-season snow fell outside the White House.

The two men — both in their 30s, both trusted aides of older, familial leaders — struck a bond. As their countries’ chief negotiators on Israeli-Palestinian peace, Kushner and the Saudi prince were both looking to make a name for themselves on the world stage and consulted with each other frequently over the following months.

Kushner championed Crown Prince Mohammed to the president and senior foreign policy officials, some of whom expressed wariness at the embrace of MBS, as he is known in diplomatic circles.

The two men’s relationship also played a key role in Riyadh becoming the unlikely first stop on Trump’s maiden international trip in May 2017. Trump, despite endorsing a travel ban on Muslims during his campaign, became the first U.S. president to make his official first trip to an Islamic nation.

Relations between the two countries are complex because they are entwined on energy, military, economic and intelligence issues. The Trump administration has aggressively courted the Saudis for support of its Middle East agenda to counter Iranian influence, fight extremism and forge peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

“We want to have a relationship with Saudi Arabia. They’re a strategic partner. They’re a mortal enemy of the Iranians. They’re helping us on terrorism,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a Trump supporter and top member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“Having said all that, if this did happen — and it’s increasingly likely that something bad happened to this man at the hands of the Saudi government — that shows contempt for us. That’s disrespectful to us. It puts people like me in a box who’ve been one of the leading champions of the relationship.”

It’s not just Graham who’s in a box. It’s also Trump, who has long-standing business ties to Saudi Arabia.

Jeff Prescott, who was senior director for the Middle East at the National Security Council during the Obama administration, said that a reassessment of the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia is overdue and that Trump should raise U.S. complaints with Saudi leaders.

“What the Trump administration has given Saudi Arabia is a green light to pursue any policy,” said Prescott, now executive director of National Security Action, a group of former officials opposed to the Trump administration. “The key question is whether Republicans will have the courage to force the administration to have a reckoning of the relationship.”

He said Kushner’s project to forge peace between Israel and the Palestinians also could be in jeopardy.

“There is no question that a rift with Saudi Arabia — or even relations strained by pressure from Congress — would make an already bleak prospect even less likely,” Prescott said.

In Congress, there is a push for sanctions under a human rights law, and lawmakers are questioning American support for the Saudi-led bombing campaign against Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen. The U.S. has raised concerns previously about heavy civilian casualties caused by the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., voiced doubt there would be support in Congress for another arms sale to Saudi Arabia — though lawmakers haven’t blocked sales before. He also called for at least a temporary halt in U.S. military support for the Saudi bombing campaign in Yemen. Murphy tweeted that if Saudi Arabia is found complicit in Khashoggi’s death, it should be viewed as a “fundamental break in our relationship with Saudi Arabia.”

Copyright © 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. </s> US President Donald Trump told his supporters that Saudi Arabia and its king would not last two weeks in power without American support.

“We protect Saudi Arabia. Would you say they are rich? And I love the King … King Salman but I said, ‘King, we are protecting you. You might not be there for two weeks without us. You have to pay for your military,” Trump told a campaign rally in Southaven.

The kingdom is the world’s top oil exporter and the leader of the oil-producing bloc. The Trump administration has been criticizing Saudi Arabia for high oil prices.

According to Saudi state news agency, Trump called King Salman on Saturday to discuss efforts to maintain supplies to ensure oil market stability and global economic growth. </s> US president Donald Trump has said Saudi Arabia’s King Salman “might not be there for two weeks” without US military support.

US president Donald Trump has said Saudi Arabia’s King Salman “might not be there for two weeks” without US military support.

Trump: Saudi king wouldn’t last two weeks without US support

Mr Trump is seeking to put pressure on the close American ally over rising oil prices.

Speaking at a campaign rally in Mississippi, Mr Trump said: “I love the king, King Salman, but I said: ‘King, we’re protecting you. You might not be there for two weeks without us. You have to pay for your military, you have to pay.'”

Mr Trump did not elaborate on when he spoke to the Saudi monarch. Mr Trump and Salman last shared a reported telephone call on Saturday.

Benchmark Brent crude oil prices are close to 85 dollars a barrel – a four-year high – and analysts say it could reach 100 dollars. US petrol prices have gone up ahead of November mid-term elections.

Mr Trump and Salman discussed “efforts to maintain supplies to ensure the stability of the oil market and ensure the growth of the global economy” in their phone call at the weekend, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency.

There was no immediate reaction in Saudi Arabia to Mr Trump’s remarks. Riyadh has worked to cultivate warm relations with the US president after having rocky moments with his predecessor, Barack Obama.

Saudi Arabia welcomed Mr Trump for his first overseas trip as president.

The US administration – and in particular his son-in-law Jared Kushner – has sought a close relationship with King Salman’s son Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s crown price and next in line to the throne in the Al Saud monarchy.

But oil prices seem to be getting in the way. In July, Mr Trump tweeted without evidence that Saudi Arabia would increase its production “maybe up to 2,000,000 barrels” a day.

Saudi Arabia currently produces some 10 million barrels of crude oil a day. Its record is 10.72 million barrels a day.

Meanwhile, US fuel prices are up ahead of November mid-term elections in which Mr Trump already faces considerable political headwinds. The average price for a gallon of petrol in the US is 2.88 dollars (£2.21), up from 2.55 dollars (£1.96) a year ago.

Mr Trump criticised oil producers in his speech before the UN General Assembly last week.

He said: “Opec and Opec nations are, as usual, ripping off the rest of the world, and I don’t like it. Nobody should like it.

“We defend many of these nations for nothing, and then they take advantage of us by giving us high oil prices. Not good.

“We want them to stop raising prices. We want them to start lowering prices and they must contribute substantially to military protection from now on.”
U.S. President Donald Trump spoke to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman about Middle East stability and the oil market, the White House says, after tensions with Iran prompt a rise in oil prices.