A day later, Saudi leaders congratulate Biden on US election win

CAIRO - Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz and his son Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday congratulated US President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on winning the presidential election 24 hours after the election results.

As other Arab countries raced to congratulate the Democrat, the kingdom's de facto ruler, Prince Mohammed, had remained silent on the defeat of President Donald Trump, whose Middle East policies and staunch opposition to Iran had Riyadh's backing. 

State news agency SPA reported that King Salman "praised, on this occasion, the distinctive historical ties existing between the two friendly countries and peoples, which everyone seeks to strengthen and develop in all fields."

Biden pledged in his election campaign to reassess relations with the oil-rich kingdom and demand greater accountability for those responsible for the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. He also called for an end to US support for the Yemen war.

Amos Hochstein, a former senior aide to Biden, told and Israeli TV that rejoining the Iran nuclear deal was high on his agenda and that US President-elect would move to do so shortly after taking office.

The move is likely to affect US-Saudi ties which had been very close during US President Donald Trump’s rule.

In 2018, Trump unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal and reimposed severe sanctions on the Islamic Republic, a move that was hailed by Saudi Arabia.