Joe Biden’s nominee for national intelligence director has pledged to release a US report on who was responsible for the murder of Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi, a decision that could embarrass the kingdom’s crown prince and destroy relations with his main ally. can put pressure on.
Avril Haines, who would be the first woman in the country to oversee US intelligence, made the promise to her confirmation hearing on Tuesday. Congress required the national intelligence director to release an unclassified report of the murder to lawmakers, but the Trump administration did not.
A year later, Khashoggi is still casting Murder Pall over Saudi Arabia
Khashoggi, a Saudi insider-turned critic living in the US, was murdered and dismembered in 2018 by Saudi agents in the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul, sparking global outrage. Saudi officials denied the prince was involved, saying the murder was committed by rogue agents who have been prosecuted. US President Donald Trump, quotes national interests, such as arms trade, which he said replaced the murder, expressed support for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia.
But the case became a persistent pressure point in Congress, and Biden, who will be inaugurated as president later Wednesday, has said he would treat Saudi Arabia as a “pariah”.
If the report is critical of the prince, it could put further strain on relations with the US and will be released at a time when he faces domestic challenges, including a faltering economy and discontent within the Royal family.
Releasing the report would be “an attempt by the Biden administration to bring human rights issues long neglected by Trump back into the pillars of US foreign policy,” said Ayham Kamel, Middle East and North Africa chief. at the consultancy Eurasia Group. “I don’t see this as a direct attempt to sabotage the US-Saudi Arabia relationship, but it will certainly pose challenges.”
US weighs Saudi immunity petition in assassination attempt
The prince is also facing two lawsuits in the US that could potentially cause embarrassment, including one related to his alleged role in Khashoggi’s murder.
The outrage sparked by the assassination initially threatened to derail the prince’s economic transformation plan to diversify oil, scare foreign investors, and damage the kingdom’s reputation abroad. But the furor gradually faded, and many businessmen who canceled appearances in Saudi Arabia at the time have since returned.
While “much will depend on the details of the report,” Prince Mohammed would be sensitive to any reopening of the Khashoggi files, thus “shifting the focus of his investment and modernization plans,” Kamel said.