Biden administration considers hindering military aid to Saudi Arabia in a 'punishing' response to it cutting oil production, report says

• The Biden administration is considering purposely slowing military aid to Saudi Arabia, NBC reports.
• The move is in response to the Kingdom's decision to cut oil production.

The Biden administration is considering delaying promised military aid to Saudi Arabia in response to the Gulf country's decision to slash oil production, sources told NBC News.

It could include shipments of Patriot MIM-104E guided ballistic missiles, which Saudi Arabia has a contract to purchase 300 of from the US. The Saudis have Patriot launch systems, but need the missiles to defend against attacks from Houthi rebels in Yemen, per the report.

Sources told NBC that some military officials support the idea, while others argue that the military relationship between the two countries should be kept separate from the oil dispute.

Some aides have raised concerns that hindering the supply of Patriot missiles could put US troops and civilians in the Gulf nation in danger, NBC News said.

The OPEC group of oil-producing nations, of which Saudi Arabia and Russia are two of the largest, said earlier this month that it would cut oil production by two million barrels a day, which will drive up prices.

The move enraged the White House, which has been struggling to tame inflation and decrease gas prices.

In an interview with CNN earlier this month, President Joe Biden said: "There's going to be some consequences for what they've done with Russia."

Biden visited Saudi Arabia in July, after which White House aides believed they'd struck a secret deal with Saudi leader Mohammed bin Salman to boost oil production, according to a report from The New York Times.

However, Salman took them by surprise by backtracking and announcing the decision to cut oil output instead, leaving White House officials enraged.

According to NBC News, the Biden administration is considering several options for how to respond to Saudi Arabia, but multiple sources say that they are not likely to come to a decision for some time.

Along with hindering military aid, another option is to exclude Saudi Arabia from upcoming military exercises and regional engagements, the outlet said.

Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, previously suggested moving US air-defense systems from Saudi Arabia to Ukraine in response to the oil decision.

"There needs to be a balance between punishing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and not making life more difficult or dangerous for the US," one US official told NBC.