Published: · Region: Middle East · Category: markets

U.S. Imports of Saudi Crude Collapse to Zero, Putting Alliance Under Market Pressure

U.S. crude imports from Saudi Arabia fell to zero in July for the first time since 1985, a symbolic break in a trade flow that once anchored the two countries’ relationship. The drop lands as Gulf shipping faces fresh disruption and Washington and Riyadh renegotiate what their energy partnership is actually worth.

For the first time in more than four decades, the United States went a month without importing a single barrel of crude oil from Saudi Arabia. The July figures, reported on 6 August, mark a sharp departure from a trade pattern that long underpinned the strategic bargain between Washington and Riyadh: American security guarantees in exchange for reliable Saudi barrels. On their face, the numbers reflect a commodity market in flux. U.S. production has surged in recent years, making the country a net exporter of crude and products on some measures and reducing the need for Middle Eastern imports. But reaching zero from the kingdom — not a marginal drop,…

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