WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has claimed that Saudi Arabia and its king would not last “for two weeks” without US military support.

The US leader expressed these views at a rally in Mississippi on Tuesday while reiterating his desire for US allies to reimburse the costs of American military presence in their countries.

“We protect Saudi Arabia. Would you say they’re rich? And I love the king, King Salman. But I said ‘King — we’re protecting you — you might not be there for two weeks without us — you have to pay for your military’,” said Trump, earning wild cheers from the crowd.

“For years you watched as your leaders apologised for America. Now you have a president who is standing up for America,” he said as the cheers grew louder.

Trump didn’t elaborate on when he had made the comments to the Saudi monarch but the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported that the president and King Salman last talked by phone on Saturday, when they discussed “efforts to maintain supplies to ensure the stability of the oil market and ensure the growth of the global economy”.

The US media noted that the comments followed a rapid increase in oil prices in the US. In recent comments, President Trump had criticised the oil-producing bloc, OPEC, for not curbing oil prices. The media speculated that Trump turned his focus to Saudi Arabia because it is the world’s top oil exporter and OPEC’s de facto leader.

Last week, Trump addressed the UN General Assembly where he indicated that America was ready to shun its global approach to protect its interests first. In the same speech, he accused OPEC of indulging in the “usual ripping off the rest of the world” by hiking oil prices.

The comments forced Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to visit Kuwait last weekend to speak to Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al Sabah, reportedly about increasing oil production. But so far, neither Saudi Arabia nor Kuwait has said what decisions were taken in this meeting.

Published in Dawn, October 4th , 2018