Saudi Arabia through its state run news
agency, known as the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), declared that if foreign nations
sanction Saudi Arabia over journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s disappearance at the
Saudi Arabian embassy in Turkey, Saudi Arabia would respond with greater
action. The SPA remained vague in what greater action would entail, but they
did stress that Saudi Arabia has a major role in the global economy.
Furthermore, the general manager of Saudi-owned Al Arabyia (a Middle-Eastern news platform)
threatened that oil prices for nations such as the United States could rise,
stating that the $80 price of oil per barrel could rise as much to $200 per
barrel, or even that double that figure. The American response has been split,
with President Donald Trump stating that there would be, “severe punishment” if
Saudi Arabia was responsible for Khashoggi’s death, yet President Trump made it
clear that military dealings with Saudi Arabia are vital to American economic
interests. American congress has shown to be cohesive with their opinion on the incident, with Republicans’
Jeff Flake and Marco Rubio using strong rhetoric that suggested congress
would pursue actions against Saudi Arabia if it is found that they are behind
Khashoggi’s death. The European response, spearheaded by France, Germany, and Britain,
has called for a comprehensive investigation with Saudi-Turkish support, and
that if Saudi Arabian involvement was discovered in the death of the
journalist, they would evaluate what actions they would take against Saudi
Arabia. Currently, the Saudi consulate in Turkey is allowing Turkish officials
to investigate the embassy for clues as to what happened.
Kevin Phelan
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-politics-dissident-sanctions/saudi-arabia-says-will-retaliate-against-any-sanctions-over-khashoggi-case-idUSKCN1MO0F1
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