Saudi Arabia has warned of “disastrous consequences” from a United States law allowing 9/11 victims to sue the kingdom, in a major spike in tension between the long-standing allies.
The warning came after the U.S. Congress voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to override President Barack Obama’s veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, which allows attack survivors and relatives of terrorism victims to pursue cases against foreign governments in US federal court and to demand compensation if such governments are proven to bear some responsibility for attacks on US soil.
A Saudi Foreign Ministry source late on Thursday called on the U.S. Congress “to take the necessary measures to counter the disastrous and dangerous consequences” of the law.
The unnamed spokesman, cited by the official Saudi Press Agency, said the law is “a source of great worry.”
This law “weakens the immunity of states,” and will have a negative impact on all countries "including the United States,” the spokesman said, expressing hope that “wisdom will prevail.”
In opposing the law, Mr. Obama said it would harm U.S. interests by undermining the principle of sovereign immunity, opening up the U.S. to private lawsuits over its military missions abroad. The erosion of sovereign immunity is also a concern among the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, of which Saudi Arabia is the most powerful member.
Saudi Arabia’s Gulf allies have lined up beside Riyadh to criticise the legislation. Late on Thursday, United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Anwar Gargash described the move as “a dangerous precedent in international law that undermines the principle of sovereign immunity and the future of sovereign investments” in the U.S. “Populism overcame the rationality required in matters of international law and investments,” he tweeted.
A senior Saudi prince reportedly threatened to pull out billions of dollars of US assets if JASTA became law, though Saudi officials have distanced themselves from such threats.
