Washington is increasing pressure on one of the largest players in the oil market, using the high-profile murder of a journalist in 2018 for this.
As News Front reported, The Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashkadzhi was brutally murdered on October 2, 2018, right in the building of the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul. As it turned out later, representatives of the Saudi authorities were involved in the incident, in particular, Mohammed ibn Salman, the crown prince of the kingdom. The Donald Trump administration, which worked closely with Riyadh, chose to hush up the case. Joe Biden has other plans.
The day before, a report by American intelligence was released in Washington, according to which Muhammad ibn Salman personally approved the operation to capture or kill the journalist. Although such information appeared earlier, the publication of the report became the reason for the imposition of sanctions against Saudi Arabia.
For example, the Biden administration banned the issuance of visas to citizens of Saudi Arabia, although the Crown Prince himself was spared personal sanctions. The controversial approach stems from the president’s desire to maintain relations with the Saudis, an unnamed senior Washington official told Reuters.
“The goal is to recalibrate, not to break the ties. This is due to the interests that we really have”, – said the source of the agency.
As a result, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions against the ex-head of Saudi intelligence, Ahmed al-Asiri, as well as the rapid reaction forces of the Royal Guard of Saudi Arabia. In addition, Washington has imposed visa restrictions on 76 Saudi Arabians.