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Obama vetoed 9/11 bill to protect Saudi interests: Analyst

Saturday, 24 September 2016 3:15 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 24 September 2016 3:54 PM ]

US President Barack Obama (Photo by AFP)

Press TV has conducted an interview with Mike Gravel, a former US Senator, to discuss US President Barack Obama’s use of his veto power to block legislation that allows the families of 9/11 attacks victims to sue Saudi Arabia for reparations.

The legislation unanimously passed on September 9 by both houses of Congress would allow the families to sue the Saudi Arabian government in a US federal court.

The White House claims the legislation will set a dangerous legal precedent and allow foreigners to sue the United States.

Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, has strongly opposed the bill, threatening to sell off $750 billion in American assets if it becomes law.

Gravel believes President Obama's decision to veto the 9/11 bill was aimed at protecting Saudi Arabia’s interests.

He also said the United States is “caught between a rock and a hard place” as Saudi Arabia controls it through the dollar and Israel controls it through Congress.

He further stated if the members of the House of Representatives override President’s veto, Saudi Arabia might decide to change the denomination of oil sales from dollars to some other currency.

The analyst went on to say that such a decision by Riyadh would lead to the "crash" of American economy and have “dire effects” on the world economy.

“If the President’s veto is overridden, then the ball would be in Saudi Arabia’s court and do they want to punish the American economy by changing the denomination of oil from dollars to some other currency? That is the issue that is before the nation and I might say before the world,” he said.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Gravel argued that it makes “political” and “logical” sense not to support Saudi Arabia because of the terrible things it has done.

“The Saudis have been damaging the world by creating the basis of all the terrorism that is taking place with their Wahhabi teachings worldwide in the various Islamic communities,” he added.

According to the analyst, the US is in a “conundrum” where it is “morally correct” not to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia but fears what the Saudis could do “in retaliation” to the American economy.

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