US sanctions 21 Saudi officials

The Dhaka Times Desk The United States has imposed sanctions on 21 Saudi officials. As a result of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the country is enforcing the ban on the entry of these 21 Saudi citizens into the United States.

This information has been given in a report of the British news agency Reuters citing sources from the US State Department. However, the identity of those 21 officials has not been disclosed yet. The US has warned that this is not the last US action against Saudi Arabia.

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate building in Istanbul, Turkey on October 2. In the face of worldwide criticism on the matter, the Saudi authorities admitted for the first time that Jamal Khashoggi was killed at midnight on October 19.

However, Riyadh claims that they did not intend to kill Khashoggi. Jamal Khashoggi was involved in a scuffle inside the consulate building. He died in a scuffle. In an October 22 interview with Fox News, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir claimed that the Saudi leadership knew nothing about the "unscrupulous operation". However, the international world is not satisfied with these lame explanations of Saudi Arabia. US President Donald Trump, one of Saudi's closest ally, has already been forced to take a tougher stance against Saudi Arabia, even though he was initially soft on it. For the first time on Tuesday, he termed this murder as the worst disappearance in history. On the same day, Donald Trump also agreed on the possible involvement of the Saudi prince.

US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters on Tuesday about the decision to impose US sanctions on 21 Saudi nationals. He said that among them who have visas to enter the US, their visas have already been cancelled. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, hinting at new steps in the future, told reporters that 'the steps taken by these 21 people in that incident are not the last step. We make it clear that the United States will not accept any senseless violent action to stop Khashoggi.'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the murder of Jamal Khashoggi a planned and brutal murder and demanded the punishment of those responsible. He said, no matter how high-profile the killers are, all of them must be punished. Without naming Mohammed bin Salman, the heir to the Saudi throne, Erdogan said whoever ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi must also be held accountable.