Human rights? Yemen war? Saudi-Arabia in 90% agreement with the Biden administration

Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in remarks aired on Tuesday that the United States was a strategic partner and that Riyadh had only a few differences with the Biden administration which it was working to resolve.

The kingdom’s de facto ruler also said Saudi Arabia would not accept any pressure or interference in its internal affairs. President Joe Biden, who has said he would only speak with his Saudi counterpart King Salman, has taken a tougher stand with Riyadh on its human rights record and the Yemen war than predecessor Donald Trump, who had strong ties with Prince Mohammed.

“We are more than 90% in agreement with the Biden administration when it comes to Saudi and U.S. interests and we are working to strengthen these interests,”

the prince said.

“The matters we disagree on represent less than 10% and we are working to find solutions and understandings … there is no doubt that the United States is a strategic partner,” he added. Saudi Arabia is also building strategic partnerships with Russia, India and China, he said in an interview on Saudi TV.

The Biden administration earlier this year released a U.S. intelligence report implicating the crown prince in the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi but spared him any direct punishment.

The prince denies any involvement. It has also withdrawn support for offensive operations by a Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis. The conflict is seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran which are locked in a rivalry for regional influence. Prince Mohammed said his country wanted good ties with Iran, with which Riyadh severed diplomatic ties in 2016.