US President Joe Biden has announced that an announcement will be made on the upcoming Monday concerning Saudi Arabia following the release of a CIA report on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Reuters quoted President Biden in response to a question about imposing sanctions on the Saudi Crown Prince, saying, “There will be an announcement on Monday regarding what we will do with Saudi Arabia in general.” The President did not provide further details.
On Friday evening, the Biden administration released a declassified version of the US intelligence report concerning the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in 2018. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence stated in the report that “we assess that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey, to capture or kill journalist Jamal Khashoggi.” The Office of the Director of National Intelligence clarified that their conclusions are based on the Crown Prince's control over the decision-making process in the kingdom, the direct involvement of a senior adviser and members of Mohammed bin Salman’s protection team in the operation, and the Crown Prince's support for using violent measures to silence dissidents abroad, including Khashoggi.
The declassified document identified 21 individuals whom US intelligence is highly confident are involved or responsible for Khashoggi's murder on behalf of the Crown Prince. President Biden's decision to declassify the report contrasts with former President Donald Trump's refusal to release it, defying a law passed in 2019. This reflects a new American willingness to challenge the kingdom on issues ranging from human rights to the war in Yemen.
For its part, the Saudi Foreign Ministry categorically rejected the findings in the US intelligence report regarding the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Saudi Foreign Ministry expressed strong rejection of the report's "offensive and inaccurate conclusions." It confirmed that the report contained offensive and incorrect conclusions about the kingdom's leadership that cannot be accepted. The Saudi Foreign Ministry stated that the kingdom condemned the murder of Khashoggi and took necessary steps to ensure such incidents do not recur. Furthermore, the Saudi Foreign Ministry emphasized that the partnership between the kingdom and the United States is a strong and solid partnership.
