President Joe Biden said on Saturday that the US would make an announcementregarding relations with Saudi Arabialink.
His remarks came one day after the US intelligence released a report aboutthe murder of Jamal Khashoggi, formally blaming Saudi Arabian Crown PrinceMohammed bin Salman for the grisly killing of the journalist.
“There will be an announcement on Monday as to what we are going to bedoing with Saudi Arabia link generally,”Biden said at the White House when asked if there will punishment for thecrown prince, the Kingdom’s de facto ruler.
Released by the office of the Director of National Intelligence, the reportconcluded that bin Salman approved “to capture or kill” Khashoggi since heconsidered him a “threat to the kingdom” and also approved the use ofviolent measures if necessary to silence him.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry issued a statement rejecting the report,describing it as “negative, false and unacceptable,” adding that itcontained “inaccurate information and conclusions.”
On Friday, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Ahmad HassanMohammed al-Asiri, the former Deputy Head of Saudi Arabia’s GeneralIntelligence Presidency, and bin Salman’s protective detail, known as theRapid Intervention Force (RIF).link
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Of the 15 people who comprised the Saudi team sent to Istanbul in 2018,seven were from the RIF, according to the report.
Biden has faced criticism for falling short of punishing the crown prince,with the Washington Post saying: “In the end, however, the U.S.-Saudirelationship under Mr. Biden may look much like it did before the Trumpadministration.”
Khashoggi was brutally killed and likely dismembered after being lured bySaudi officials to their consulate in Istanbul in October 2018. WhileRiyadh initially denied any role in his death, it later sought to pin blameon what it said was a botched rendition operation.
