OPINION:
President Trump can take a large share of the credit for a deeper, more fundamental shift in Middle East geopolitics than the Iran conflict.
It’s the extraordinary transformation of the Saudi-U.S. alliance, which in large part helped bring us to this historic moment.
It is now a matter of public record that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been privately urging the president to destroy the Iranian regime. This level of direct, strategic coordination between the men reflects a partnership that has matured far beyond the long-standing, if informal, agreement in which the U.S. provides security guarantees for a stable global oil supply.
Today, the U.S.-Saudi partnership is emerging as the anchor of the new and evolving Middle East, encompassing cooperation on artificial intelligence research, a strategic defense agreement, Israeli-Arab security ties and civil nuclear cooperation.
For it to endure and continue reshaping the region for the better, however, it must be built on a firm trust that marks all good friendships. That trust cannot be fully realized until we address the lingering issues that continue to shadow the relationship between the nations.
In December 2019, a Royal Saudi Air Force trainee opened fire at Naval Air Station Pensacola, killing three American sailors and wounding eight others. Investigators later found that he had ties to al Qaeda, raising serious questions about whether the Saudis properly vetted him before sending him to the U.S. for training.
In the immediate aftermath, Mr. Trump told reporters that he had spoken with King Salman and that the king was “very, very devastated” over the shooting and would “be involved in taking care of families and loved ones.” It was a solemn pledge between heads of state.
Still, it was never fulfilled.
Mr. Trump’s first term ended before the issue was resolved, and the relationship between the two nations deteriorated under his successor.
As Washington and Riyadh drifted apart, the families of the victims were left waiting.
In the end, they were forced to seek justice in the courts, filing a lawsuit against Saudi Arabia and accusing it of gross negligence in vetting the shooter. The Saudis, in turn, mounted — and continue to mount — a legal defense based on sovereign immunity, prolonging the fight.
With Mr. Trump back in office, the alliance is again on firmer footing. More than that, American service members are putting their lives on the line to deter Iranian hostilities because that is what allies do. They stand together in moments of adversity.
Yet this alliance will not last without trust, or with broken promises.
Saudi Arabia owes a debt to the families of Joshua Watson, Mohammed Haitham and Cameron Walters that goes beyond courtrooms or legal maneuvering.
If the country is serious about a relationship with the U.S. that extends beyond a transactional oil-for-security arrangement, then it needs to show that American lives matter, especially as U.S. service members fight to bring stability to the region.
The next time Mr. Trump speaks with the crown prince, he should remind him of Saudi Arabia’s moral obligation to the Pensacola families and survivors. It is time for the kingdom to call off its attorneys, fulfill the king’s promise and finally make these families whole.
• Peter Flaherty is chairman of the National Legal and Policy Center.
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