New Delhi: The US has taken major action after reports of Saudi Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s involvement in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi came into light. United States on Friday (local time) imposed visa restrictions on 76 Saudi individuals who are believed to have been engaged in threatening dissidents overseas. In a statement just after a US report implicted Saudi’s crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman of approving the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, US State Secretary Antony Blinken announced the “Khashoggi Ban,” a new visa restriction policy.
US officials believe that Wali Ahad (Mohammed Bin Salman) of Saudi Arabia approved an operation to capture or kill journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi High Commission in Istanbul. This information was revealed by US intelligence report made public on Friday. It is believed that after this report comes out, pressure may be increased on the Biden administration to hold the royal family responsible for the murder.
After Khashoggi’s death on October 2, 2018, there was a lot of anger at both the political parties in the US as well as internationally. Khashoggi was considered a staunch critic of Wali Ahad Mohammed Bin Salman of Saudi Arabia. However, this conclusion has not yet been officially made public.
The report comes at a time when US President Joe Biden had a courtesy conversation with Saudi King Naresh Salman a day earlier. However, in the statement issued by the White House regarding the talks, there was no mention of the journalist’s murder during this time. It said that the two discussed a long-term partnership between the two countries.