Khashoggi’s murder: US to impose sanctions, visa ban over Saudi Arabia
Monitoring Desk :
The United States under the new Biden administration would impose sanctions and a visa ban over Saudi Arabia over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The new US administration under Biden is trying too hard to discourage former President Donald Trump’s policy with regard to the kingdom over gross human rights violations.
A senior Biden administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the approach aims to create a new launching-off point for ties with the kingdom without breaking a core relationship in the Middle East. Relations have been severely strained for years by the war in Yemen and the killing inside a Saudi consulate of Khashoggi, a US resident who wrote columns for the Washington Post.
According to declassified US intelligence reports, the Saudi King Muhammad Bin Salman (MBS) had ordered the capture and killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
“We assess that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey to capture or kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi,” the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in the report posted on its website.
Importantly, the decisions appear designed to preserve a working relationship with the crown prince, even though US intelligence concluded that he approved the operation to capture or kill Khashoggi.
“The aim is a recalibration (in ties) — not a rupture. That’s because of the important interests that we do share,” the senior Biden administration official said.
Khashoggi’s murder: US to impose sanctions, visa ban over Saudi Arabia
