Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Martina Strong believes the U.S. is unequivocally the most important foreign policy actor in the Middle East. Her comments come roughly one year after President Joe Biden threatened "consequences" for Saudi Arabia after the OPEC kingpin slashed oil production along with its allies against Washington's wishes. Biden's administration has been notably quiet about recent OPEC+ output cuts, however, even as oil prices have rallied close to $100 a barrel. Saudi Arabia has recently shown signs of steering toward China and Russia after rekindling relations with Iran through Beijing-mediated talks and receiving an invitation to join the emerging economies' BRICS alliance. Asked by CNBC's Dan Murphy whether the U.S. remained the most important foreign policy actor in the region, Strong replied, "Absolutely.

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Persons: United Arab Emirates Martina Strong, Joe Biden, Washington's, Biden's, CNBC's Dan Murphy, Strong, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, Narendra Modi, Evelyn Hockstein Organizations: United Arab Emirates, U.S ., UAE, Saudi Arabia's Crown, India's, Bharat, Afp, Getty Locations: U.S, Saudi Arabia, Israel, China, Russia, Iran, Beijing, New Delhi