• The Trump administration on Thursday hit 17 Saudi officials with sanctions over their alleged involvement in the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
• Among those slapped with sanctions were Saud al-Qahtani, top henchman of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Trump administration on Thursday hit 17 Saudi officials with sanctions over their alleged involvement in the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

“The Saudi officials we are sanctioning were involved in the abhorrent killing of Jamal Khashoggi,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. “These individuals who targeted and brutally killed a journalist who resided and worked in the United States must face consequences for their actions.”

Mnuchin added: “The United States continues to diligently work to ascertain all of the facts and will hold accountable each of those we find responsible in order to achieve justice for Khashoggi’s fiancée, children, and the family he leaves behind.”

Among those slapped with sanctions were Saud al-Qahtani, a top henchman of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom the Treasury Department described as “part of the planning and execution of the operation that led to the killing of Mr. Khashoggi.”

Read more: The operation that led to Khashoggi’s killing was reportedly run via Skype by one of Crown Prince Mohammed’s top henchmen

Qahtani reportedly ran the operation surrounding Khashoggi’s killing via Skype. The Saudis have sought to distance Prince Mohammed from the killing, and on Thursday reiterated their claim he had nothing to do with the operation. But it’s widely believed Khashoggi’s killing was a direct result of orders from Prince Mohammed, the de facto ruler of the kingdom.

Maher Mutreb, Qahtani’s subordinate, was also hit with sanctions. The Treasury Department said the operation was “coordinated and executed” by Mutreb.

Additionally, Consul General Mohammed Alotaibi, who oversaw the Saudi consul in Istanbul where Khashoggi was killed, was slapped with sanctions.

Read more: How the Saudi government’s story on slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi has shifted over time

This all comes after Saudi Arabia earlier in the day announced it had indicted 11 men in connection with Khashoggi’s killing, and requested the death penalty for five.

The Saudi public prosecutors office said Khashoggi was killed via a lethal injection after a brief struggle, claiming his body was then dismembered and the parts were given to a local collaborator. The prosecution said the team originally intended to coerce Khashoggi to return to his native country, but killed him after he resisted.

This marked yet another shift in the Saudi’s narrative on the journalist’s disturbing killing. </s> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on 17 Saudi officials on Thursday for their role in the killing last month of Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, the first concrete response by the Trump administration to the journalist's death.

Among those sanctioned were Saud al-Qahtani, who has been removed from his position as a top aide to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as well as the Saudi Consul General Mohammed Alotaibi and members of a 15-person team Turkey has identified as being involved in Khashoggi's death.

The announcement was unusual for Washington, which rarely imposes sanctions on Saudi nationals. The sanctions do not target the Riyadh government, an important U.S. security and economic ally.

It also allows President Donald Trump's administration to stop short of any action that might affect lucrative U.S. arms deals with Saudi Arabia that he has vowed to preserve.

The sanctions limit access to the U.S. financial system and freeze the individuals' assets. They will be implemented under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which targets perpetrators of serious human rights abuses and corruption.

"These individuals who targeted and brutally killed a journalist who resided and worked in the United States must face consequences for their actions," Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said in a statement.

"The Government of Saudi Arabia must take appropriate steps to end any targeting of political dissidents or journalists," Mnuchin said.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Thursday's announcement "an important step" in the response to Khashoggi's killing and said his department would continue to seek facts, consult the U.S. Congress and work with other countries to hold accountable anyone who was involved.

TURKEY IDENTIFIED MANY OF THOSE SANCTIONED

Among others cited in Thursday's announcement are Maher Mutreb, an aide to Qahtani who has appeared in photographs with Prince Mohammed on official visits this year to the United States and Europe.

He and 14 others were members of the team Turkey identified as being responsible for killing Khashoggi.

Absent from the sanctions list were four officials fired last month along with Qahtani: General Ahmed Asiri, the deputy head of foreign intelligence, and three other intelligence deputies - General Rashad bin Hamed al-Hamadi, director of the general directorate of security and protection, General Abdullah bin Khaleef al-Shaya, assistant head for human resources, and General Mohammed Saleh al-Ramih, assistant head for intelligence affairs.

Treasury did not immediately respond to a request for an explanation of why they were not included.

The U.S. sanctions were announced a few hours after Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor said the death penalty was being sought for five out of 11 suspects charged in Khashoggi's murder, as the kingdom tries to contain its biggest political crisis in a generation.

Khashoggi, a royal insider-turned-critic of Saudi policy, was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 after a struggle, by lethal injection, deputy public prosecutor and spokesman Shalaan al-Shalaan told reporters.

Shalaan said Prince Salman knew nothing of the operation, in which Khashoggi's body was dismembered, removed from the building and handed over to an unidentified "local cooperator."

In contrast to Thursday's announcement, the U.S. government never imposed sanctions on Saudi officials over the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, in which 15 of the 19 hijackers were from the kingdom.

A U.S. government commission found no evidence that Saudi Arabia directly funded al Qaeda, which carried out the attacks on New York and Washington. The panel, however, left open whether individual Saudi officials might have.

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. </s> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury will announce on Thursday sanctions on 17 Saudis for their role in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, according to a source familiar with the administration’s plans.

Those to be sanctioned include Saud al-Qahtani, a former top aide to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as well as the Saudi Consul General Mohammed Alotaibi, the source said.

The sanctions will be implemented under the Global Magnitsky Act, which imposes sanctions over human rights abuses, the source said.

Among others facing sanctions are Maher Mutreb, an aide to Qahtani who has appeared in photographs with Prince Mohammed on official visits this year to the United States and Europe. </s> The United States sanctioned 17 Saudi Arabian nationals Thursday in connection with the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The announcement came just hours after Saudi Arabia said it will seek the death penalty for five suspects among 11 charged in the killing of the Washington Post columnist.

Among those sanctioned by the the Treasury Department was Saud Al-Qahtani, a former senior adviser to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The sanctions freeze their U.S. asserts and prohibit Americans from doing business with them.

"The Saudi officials we are sanctioning were involved in the abhorrent killing of Jamal Khashoggi," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. "These individuals who targeted and brutally killed a journalist who resided and worked in the United States must face consequences for their actions. The Government of Saudi Arabia must take appropriate steps to end any targeting of political dissidents or journalists."

Earlier Thursday, Saud Al-Mojeb, the kingdom's top public prosecutor, said the most senior official behind Khashoggi’s murder in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. is Ahmad al-Assiri, a former deputy intelligence chief.

Al-Assiri was arrested and fired for ordering Khashoggi's forced return to Saudi Arabia, an operation that Riyadh has tried to characterize as a botched rendition by rogue operatives. Al-Mojeb did not say whether Al-Assiri was facing the death penalty. He said 21 people are in custody and 11 have been indicted in connection with the case.

Protestors hold candles and pictures of Jamal Khashoggi during the demonstration in front of Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.

Turkey says it has audio evidence that proves the Washington Post columnist's murder was sanctioned at the highest level in Saudi Arabia, likely in coordination with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the nation's de facto ruler and a close U.S. ally.

On Monday, Canada's Justin Trudeau became the first western leader to confirm that Turkey has shared this evidence with other countries' intelligence agencies. President Donald Trump has acknowledged its existence but has not said whether he's heard it.

The recording was shared last month with the C.I.A. Director Gina Haspel.

However, Al-Mojeb did not address that, and only requested that Turkish authorities release additional information about their investigation. He said Khashoggi's murderers drugged and killed the writer inside the consulate before dismembering the body and handing it over for disposal by an unidentified local collaborator.

Following Al-Mojeb's remarks, Turkey released a statement urging Saudi Arabia to reveal who ordered Khashoggi's killing. It also called the prosecutor's comments "unsatisfactory" and insisted that the suspects be extradited to Turkey for trial.

Khashoggi's remains are unaccounted for more than a month after he entered the consulate to obtain legal documents needed to marry his Turkish fiancee.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said he has pressed the Saudis for answers over the case and told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a phone call that "the United States will hold all of those involved in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi accountable." The Trump administration has also appeared intent on preserving its relationship with Saudi Arabia's leadership despite the affair.

More: Report: Saudis discussed killing other enemies long before Khashoggi's death </s> Pushing back against critics who have accused President Donald Trump of letting the Saudis off the hook after Khashoggi’s death, the official told Reuters this week the message to the kingdom is that it remains a "very hot issue" and "they need to take it seriously."

Republican and Democratic lawmakers, citing evidence of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s role in the Khashoggi case and incensed over the civilian toll from the Saudi air campaign in Yemen, have ramped up efforts to block Trump’s arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Saudis needed to complete their investigation and take action ahead of the anniversary but did not specify any consequences if they failed to do so. The Trump administration has so far taken only minimal steps.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and US resident who had become a vocal critic of the prince, disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct 2. Eleven Saudi suspects have been put on trial in secretive proceedings but only a few hearings have been held since January.

"There will be increased sensitivity around the anniversary," the official said. "It would be in everyone's best interest to have some tangible progress by then."

The CIA has determined with "medium to high confidence" that the crown prince, commonly known by his initials MbS and considered de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, ordered the killing, US government sources have said. The spy agency has continued to monitor and gather information but is not conducting a full-scale inquiry, a US official said.

Trump has expressed doubts about the CIA assessment and argued that Washington must not risk its alliance with Riyadh, the cornerstone of US security policy in the Gulf regarded as a regional counterweight to Iran.

Khashoggi's murder tarnished the crown prince's reputation internationally. He has pushed ahead with an ambitious domestic agenda accompanied by a crackdown on dissent.

Trump drew a furious reaction from Congress last month when he declared that the threat from Iran was an emergency that forced him to bypass lawmakers and sell $8 billion in arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Democratic US Senator Chris Murphy this week accused the administration of "turning a blind eye" to Khashoggi’s murder.

The administration is making clear to the Saudis the controversy will persist until they demonstrate a "very clear case of culpability," the senior administration official said.

White House adviser and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has cultivated a close relationship with MbS, declined to blame the crown prince for Khashoggi's death in an interview with Axios this month.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in March the administration was still working "all across the government" to identify those responsible. </s> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration is pressing Saudi Arabia to show “tangible progress” toward holding to account those behind the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and wants them to do so before the one-year anniversary of his murder, a senior administration official said.

FILE PHOTO: An Indonesian journalist holds a placard during a protest over the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in front of the Saudi Arabia embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, October 19, 2018. REUTERS/Beawiharta/File Photo

Pushing back against critics who have accused President Donald Trump of letting the Saudis off the hook after Khashoggi’s death, the official told Reuters this week the message to the kingdom is that it remains a “very hot issue” and “they need to take it seriously.”

Republican and Democratic lawmakers, citing evidence of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s role in the Khashoggi case and incensed over the civilian toll from the Saudi air campaign in Yemen, have ramped up efforts to block Trump’s arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Saudis needed to complete their investigation and take action ahead of the anniversary but did not specify any consequences if they failed to do so. The Trump administration has so far taken only minimal steps.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and U.S. resident who had become a vocal critic of the prince, disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Eleven Saudi suspects have been put on trial in secretive proceedings but only a few hearings have been held since January.

“There will be increased sensitivity around the anniversary,” the official said. “It would be in everyone’s best interest to have some tangible progress by then.”

The CIA has determined with “medium to high confidence” that the crown prince, commonly known by his initials MbS and considered de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, ordered the killing, U.S. government sources have said. The spy agency has continued to monitor and gather information but is not conducting a full-scale inquiry, a U.S. official said.

Saudi officials have denied involvement by Prince Mohammed.

Trump has expressed doubts about the CIA assessment and argued that Washington must not risk its alliance with Riyadh, the cornerstone of U.S. security policy in the Gulf regarded as a regional counterweight to Iran.

Khashoggi’s murder tarnished the crown prince’s reputation internationally. He has pushed ahead with an ambitious domestic agenda accompanied by a crackdown on dissent.

Trump drew a furious reaction from Congress last month when he declared that the threat from Iran was an emergency that forced him to bypass lawmakers and sell $8 billion in arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Democratic U.S. Senator Chris Murphy this week accused the administration of “turning a blind eye” to Khashoggi’s murder.

The administration is making clear to the Saudis the controversy will persist until they demonstrate a “very clear case of culpability,” the senior administration official said.

White House adviser and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has cultivated a close relationship with MbS, declined to blame the crown prince for Khashoggi’s death in an interview with Axios this month.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in March the administration was still working “all across the government” to identify those responsible. </s> U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are seen during the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina November 30, 2018. REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump spoke on Friday to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about Middle East stability and the oil market, the White House said, after tensions with Iran prompted a rise in oil prices.

“The two leaders discussed Saudi Arabia’s critical role in ensuring stability in the Middle East and in the global oil market. They also discussed the threat posed by the Iranian regime’s escalatory behavior,” White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said in a statement.

The phone call took place in the wake of Iran’s shooting down of an unmanned U.S. drone in the Gulf region, which prompted Trump to prepare but ultimately hold back from launching a retaliatory attack.

There was no word from the White House statement on whether Trump raised with the crown prince the death last October of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

A 100-page report by the U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, Agnes Callamard, earlier this week accused Saudi Arabia of a “deliberate, premeditated execution” and said the crown prince should be investigated for it. </s> WASHINGTON/ANKARA (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Tuesday Saudi authorities staged the “worst cover-up ever” in the killing of prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi this month, as the United States vowed to revoke the visas of some of those believed to be responsible.

Trump spoke hours after Turkey’s president, Tayyip Erdogan, dismissed Saudi efforts to blame Khashoggi’s death on rogue operatives. Erdogan urged Riyadh to search “from top to bottom” to uncover those behind Khashoggi’s death in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, an incident that has sparked global outrage and strained relations between Riyadh and Washington.

For Saudi Arabia’s allies, the question will be whether they believe that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has painted himself as a reformer, has any culpability.

Trump said the killing and subsequent cover-up by Saudi Arabia were “a total fiasco.”

“There should have never been an execution or a cover-up, because it should have never happened,” Trump told reporters. He said he had spoken on Monday with the crown prince who denied having anything to do with Khashoggi’s killing.

Earlier, Trump said the Khashoggi matter was handled badly by Saudi officials.

“Bad deal, should have never been thought of. Somebody really messed up. And they had the worst cover-up ever,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

Khashoggi, a critic of the crown prince, was a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist.

Trump’s comments in recent days have ranged from threatening Saudi Arabia with “very severe” consequences and mentioning possible economic sanctions, to more conciliatory remarks highlighting the country’s role as a U.S. ally against Iran and Islamist militants, as well as a major purchaser of U.S. arms.

Trump did not give his views on who was ultimately responsible. But Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States had identified some of the Saudi government and security officials it believed were involved in Khashoggi’s murder and would take appropriate actions including revoking U.S. visas.

The U.S. State Department said 21 Saudis would have their visas revoked or be made ineligible for U.S. visas. Another official said the vast majority of the group had U.S. visas.

“As we continue to develop our understanding of the individuals that were responsible for this, not only those who executed it but those who were connected to it, the world should know that we intend to hold those individuals accountable when we develop this fact set,” Pompeo told reporters.

Pompeo also said the State Department was looking into whether sanctions could be applicable for those found to be involved.

“These penalties will not be the last word on this matter from the United States,” Pompeo said, although he emphasized as have other senior U.S. officials, the importance of the U.S.-Saudi relationship. “Neither the president nor I are happy with this situation.”

The Saudi Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment on the U.S. measures.

As the crisis unfolded over the past three weeks, Saudi Arabia changed its tune on Khashoggi. Riyadh initially denied knowledge of Khashoggi’s fate before saying on Saturday he was killed in a fight in the consulate, an account met with scepticism from several Western governments, straining their relations with the world’s biggest oil exporter.

Saudi Arabia has detained 18 people and dismissed five senior government officials as part of an investigation into Khashoggi’s death. One of those fired includes Saud al-Qahtani, a top aide who ran social media for Prince Mohammed. According to two intelligence sources, Qahtani ran Khashoggi’s killing by giving orders over Skype.

Turkish security sources say that when Khashoggi entered the consulate, he was seized by 15 Saudi intelligence operatives who had flown in on two jets just hours before.

Erdogan on Tuesday stopped short of mentioning the crown prince who some U.S. lawmakers suspect ordered the killing.

“The Saudi administration has taken an important step by admitting to the murder. From now on, we expect them to uncover all those responsible for this matter from top to bottom and make them face the necessary punishments,” Erdogan said in a speech in parliament.

“From the person who gave the order, to the person who carried it out, they must all be brought to account,” Turkey’s president said.

Turkish sources have said that authorities have an audio recording purportedly documenting the killing. Erdogan made no reference to any audio recording.

A Saudi Cabinet meeting chaired by King Salman said Riyadh would hold to account those responsible for the killing and those who failed in their duties, whoever they were.

Turkish investigators searched a Saudi consulate vehicle in Istanbul that contained two suitcases and other items, according to broadcaster CNN Turk. It was not clear what was in the suitcases.

Trump said he would work with the U.S. Congress to determine the U.S. response to the Khashoggi matter.

“In terms of what we ultimately do, I’m going to leave it very much - in conjunction with me - up to Congress,” Trump said, adding he would like a bipartisan recommendation.

CIA Director Gina Haspel, in Turkey to investigate the death of Khashoggi, has sought to hear the purported audio recording of his torture and murder, four sources familiar with her mission told Reuters on Tuesday.

A host of Western executives and governments have pulled out of a high-profile Saudi investment summit that started on Tuesday because of the Khashoggi affair.

Erdogan said the killing was planned from when Khashoggi, 59, first went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Sept. 28 to obtain documents necessary for his marriage. He was told he would need to return later to collect the documents.

A day before Khashoggi’s death, agents arrived from overseas and began to scout locations, including the Belgrad Forest near Istanbul and the city of Yalova to its south, Erdogan said. Police have searched both areas for evidence of Khashoggi’s remains, Reuters has reported.

On the day Khashoggi arrived for his appointment and was later killed, the hard disk in the consulate’s camera system was removed, Erdogan said.

“Covering up a savage murder like this will only hurt the human conscience. We expect the same sensitivity from all parties, primarily the Saudi Arabian leadership,” he said.

“We have strong signs that the murder was the result of a planned operation, not a spontaneous development.” </s> President Donald Trump soaked up the grandeur of Saudi Arabia on his first foreign stop as president last year and envisioned huge benefits for the United States in building closer ties with the repressive and oil-rich desert kingdom.

Now, the White House relationship with Riyadh is imperiled over the mysterious disappearance of a Saudi writer, and the situation is creating friction between the Trump administration and members of Congress demanding to know if the columnist for The Washington Post was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey.

Trump said he has talked to officials at the highest level of the kingdom and is “demanding everything” to explain how Jamal Khashoggi, an activist who had been critical of Saudi leaders, vanished after he walked into the consulate in Istanbul to get documents he needed to get married.

Turkish authorities claim Khashoggi, who resided in the United States, was killed by members of an elite Saudi “assassination squad.” The kingdom describes the allegation as “baseless.” But if Saudi Arabia is found to be complicit in his disappearance or death, the warm U.S.-Saudi relationship — and even hopes for Middle East peace — could be upended.

A senior administration official said Friday that the U.S. is in ongoing contact with Turkish and Saudi officials about the case. The U.S. believes it is essential that Turkish authorities — with full, transparent support from the Saudi government — are able to conduct a thorough investigation and officially release the results, the official said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly, said the U.S. supports Turkish investigators’ efforts, will not prejudge the outcome of the official investigation, but stands ready to assist.

Trump said Thursday the U.S. had “investigators over there and we’re working with Turkey” and Saudi Arabia. But he has provided no details.

Trump has backed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s ambitious campaign to modernize the conservative kingdom and its economy. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who exchanges phone and text messages with the young crown prince, was instrumental in last year’s deal to sell $110 billion in U.S. weapons to the kingdom.

But even before Khashoggi vanished, concerns were mounting in Congress over Saudi Arabia’s policies and the crown prince’s aggressive steps to silence his critics. And now there are calls on Capitol Hill for the U.S. to halt arms sales to the kingdom, and Khashoggi’s disappearance could galvanize more opposition from lawmakers and pressure Trump to rethink his relations with Saudi Arabia.

Trump on Thursday pronounced U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia “excellent” and said he doesn’t want to scuttle arms deals with Riyadh because it means tens of millions of dollars pouring into the U.S. economy. He said the kingdom would simply buy the weapons from Russia or China instead.

“If it turns out to be as bad as it might be, there are certainly other ways of handling this situation,” he said without elaborating.

Much of how the U.S. responds will depend on whether evidence surfaces that proves Saudi Arabia is responsible for Khashoggi’s death.

Trump will have to craft a “calibrated response,” said Jon Alterman, who directs the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “He doesn’t like that approach. The president likes complete wins.”

The close ties between the Trump White House and the kingdom were in part forged by a friendship between two young princes: Last spring, Kushner and the crown prince met formally for the first time as a late-season snow fell outside the White House.

The two men — both in their 30s, both trusted aides of older, familial leaders — struck a bond. As their countries’ chief negotiators on Israeli-Palestinian peace, Kushner and the Saudi prince were both looking to make a name for themselves on the world stage and consulted with each other frequently over the following months.

Kushner championed Crown Prince Mohammed to the president and senior foreign policy officials, some of whom expressed wariness at the embrace of MBS, as he is known in diplomatic circles.

The two men’s relationship also played a key role in Riyadh becoming the unlikely first stop on Trump’s maiden international trip in May 2017. Trump, despite endorsing a travel ban on Muslims during his campaign, became the first U.S. president to make his official first trip to an Islamic nation.

Relations between the two countries are complex because they are entwined on energy, military, economic and intelligence issues. The Trump administration has aggressively courted the Saudis for support of its Middle East agenda to counter Iranian influence, fight extremism and forge peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

“We want to have a relationship with Saudi Arabia. They’re a strategic partner. They’re a mortal enemy of the Iranians. They’re helping us on terrorism,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a Trump supporter and top member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“Having said all that, if this did happen — and it’s increasingly likely that something bad happened to this man at the hands of the Saudi government — that shows contempt for us. That’s disrespectful to us. It puts people like me in a box who’ve been one of the leading champions of the relationship.”

It’s not just Graham who’s in a box. It’s also Trump, who has long-standing business ties to Saudi Arabia.

Jeff Prescott, who was senior director for the Middle East at the National Security Council during the Obama administration, said that a reassessment of the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia is overdue and that Trump should raise U.S. complaints with Saudi leaders.

“What the Trump administration has given Saudi Arabia is a green light to pursue any policy,” said Prescott, now executive director of National Security Action, a group of former officials opposed to the Trump administration. “The key question is whether Republicans will have the courage to force the administration to have a reckoning of the relationship.”

He said Kushner’s project to forge peace between Israel and the Palestinians also could be in jeopardy.

“There is no question that a rift with Saudi Arabia — or even relations strained by pressure from Congress — would make an already bleak prospect even less likely,” Prescott said.

In Congress, there is a push for sanctions under a human rights law, and lawmakers are questioning American support for the Saudi-led bombing campaign against Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen. The U.S. has raised concerns previously about heavy civilian casualties caused by the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., voiced doubt there would be support in Congress for another arms sale to Saudi Arabia — though lawmakers haven’t blocked sales before. He also called for at least a temporary halt in U.S. military support for the Saudi bombing campaign in Yemen. Murphy tweeted that if Saudi Arabia is found complicit in Khashoggi’s death, it should be viewed as a “fundamental break in our relationship with Saudi Arabia.”

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The Donald Trump administration announces sanctions on 17 Saudi officials, not including Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, for their alleged involvement in killing Khashoggi.