During a summit meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince, President Moon Jae-in "blame" the Houthi rebels and announced support for arms reinforcements in place of the Biden administration's withdrawal of U.S. troops.
President Moon congratulated the Saudi-led Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Unified Command at a summit meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince, which the US Democratic Party has publicly pointed out as a target of sanctions, and criticized the capture of the Houthi rebels as “obstructing freedom of navigation.”
During the summit meeting on the 18th, President Moon told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, "The action of the Houthi rebels' capture is an act that threatens peace and stability in the Middle East, and is an act of impeding freedom of navigation and international trade in the region," the Blue House said.
The Saudi-led GCC coalition conducted an airstrike on Sanaa, the capital of Emen, on the 17th, and the Houthi rebel media 'Al-Mashira' reported that there were more than 24 airstrikes in 24 hours that day, killing 12 people and wounding 11 people.
The GCC Integrated Command, as announced by President Moon, was established last year in response to the Saudi UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain's nuclear development in Iran.
In Yemen, the rebels took control of the capital Sanaa in a civil war between government forces and the Houthi rebels from 2014, and in 2015, the Iranian proxy war in response to the US-Saudi coalition escalated. attacked
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan visited Saudi Arabia on September 27 last year for a ceasefire in Yemen.
The Biden administration (Democratic) avoided the Saudi Crown Prince, who had intensified the anti-Iran regime and oppression of dissidents by close contact with the former Trump Republican system, and on February 26 last year, the National Intelligence Service (DNI) released a 'murder report' and the previous day. President Eden spoke to the king of Saudi Arabia on the phone and started the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Saudi Arabia, and South Korea attempted to replace military reinforcements.
White House press secretary Kate Bedingfield told MSNBC on February 28 that "the United States has historically not imposed sanctions on the leadership of countries with diplomatic relations," and excluded the Saudi Crown Prince from sanctions.
On March 1, President Biden began reducing military forces in the Gulf region, including Saudi Arabia, and withdrew three Patriot anti-aircraft missile batteries stationed in the Gulf, including one battery at Sultan Air Base. Attempted to sell arms.
Secretary of State Tony Blincoln explained the difference between the Trump regime's coalition arms sales to Saudi Arabia and human rights diplomacy, as it was revealed that "our actions are not to rupture relations, but to adjust them to better serve our interests and values."
"The withdrawal of Patriot batteries, aircraft carriers and other forces means thousands of troops can leave the area," the Wall Street Journal reported. As the US is an early move to change its strategy in the Middle East, the military force withdrawn can be used to contain rival countries such as Russia and China. .
It was confirmed that the aircraft carrier Nimitz, which was stationed in the Gulf for a long time, left the area early last year.
"The team that killed Khashoggi included seven personal bodyguards who were not allowed to participate without the Crown Prince's approval," the DNI report said. supported,” he said.
The report identified 21 individuals involved in the assassination and said, "There is a high degree of certainty that they are involved or responsible for Khashoggi's death on behalf of Crown Prince Mohammed."
Following the release of the report, the US administration imposed visa restrictions on 76 Saudi citizens, excluding the Crown Prince.
"We must send a clear signal to our allies and adversaries alike that fundamental values, such as fundamental human rights, guide American foreign policy," Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Menendez (Democrat) said in a statement. World dictators will receive a 'immunity principle' message," he said on February 28.
The Washington Post editorial, 'Only empty stomach is guilty. "President Joe Biden should not give indulgences" in "The CIA report must bring Saud al-Qahtani, a close aide to Crown Prince bin Salman, who was identified in the CIA report as being responsible for the murder of Khashoggi. There will be more,” he said on March 1.
On April 27, Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman said: "With respect to the interests of Saudi Arabia and the United States, and on strengthening these interests, we have more than 90% agreement with the Biden government. , we are seeking answers and understanding," he said on local TV.
Ahead of the Saudi-led coalition airstrike on Emen on the 17th, Yemeni Houthi rebels said they were responsible for the drone strikes in Abu Dhabi, the UAE, killing two Indian nationals and one Pakistani citizen.
In the Red Sea in front of Yemen, the UAE ship was seized on the 3rd, when the British military, the leading country in the maritime trade operation, announced in a statement that “the vessel was attacked around midnight,” followed by the AP News. ” reported.
The Saudi-led GCC coalition also announced that the Houthis had carried out armed piracy.
The Houthi rebels said in a statement on the same day that "the vessel was a military cargo ship of the UAE" and that it was "captured near the Hodeida coast, its territorial waters." "They entered into Yemen's territorial waters without permission to engage in hostile acts to undermine Yemen's stability," he said.
In July 2020, when Congress demanded that the Khashoggi report prepared by the Trump administration be made public, DNI Director John Ratcliffe rejected it in July 2020, saying that it "could undermine the safety and activity of U.S. intelligence agencies."
President Trump maintained a close relationship with Crown Prince Mohammed despite controversy over Khashoggi's assassination.