Trump officials dodge questions on US support for Saudi Arabia amid Khashoggi crisis
- Senior Trump administration officials dodged a question on US support for Saudi Arabia as they announced new sanctions against Iran.
- The developments came amid the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
- The sanctions target Iran's Basij Resistance Force, which is accused of using child soldiers.
- "Normal governments don't recruit, indoctrinate, and use child soldiers," the officials said in reference to Iran's Basij Resistance Force.
- While taking questions from reporters, the officials were asked if they considered it "normal" for a country to "murder" a journalist in a consulate.
Senior Trump administration officials on Tuesday dodged a question on US support for Saudi Arabia as they announced new sanctions against Iran. The developments came amid the backdrop of an ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The new sanctions target the Basij Resistance Force, a paramilitary arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps the Trump administration accuses of recruiting and training child soldiers as young as 12 years old. The officials said the Basij has sent children to "fight and die" in the conflict in Syria, and described its tactics as "unacceptable" and "disgusting."
"Normal governments don't recruit, indoctrinate, and use child soldiers," the officials said during a phone call on the new sanctions, echoing recent comments on Iran made by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
As the officials took questions from reporters, they were asked whether they also considered it "disgusting" for a country enters a consulate and "murders" a journalist and if they would characterize that as "normal" behavior, a reference to accusations that the Saudi Arabian government orchestrated the killing of Khashoggi.
In response, one of the officials said, he would "point you to the extremely strong statements" from President Donald Trump and his top advisers, noting they're "all calling for an immediate investigation into his disappearance and accountability for those responsible."
The official refused to directly answer the question, however, saying that "as we're in that process, that would not be a call I would make."
But the official later said: "We have a longstanding relationship with Saudi Arabia that is very significant to us, but that doesn't mean we're in any way ignoring or downplaying this episode, and we continue to believe those who are found responsible for it have to be held accountable. And I think that's got to be our bottom line."
Trump has stood by Saudi Arabia's royal family throughout the Khashoggi investigation
Khashoggi disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October.
Turkish authorities allege he was killed by a 15-man hit team sent to interrogate him under the direct orders of the highest levels of the Saudi government. Some reports have suggested the orders came from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, of whom Khashoggi had been critical of in his reporting.
On Tuesday, a Turkish official said police had found "certain evidence" Khashoggi was killed in the consulate.
But Trump in the past few days has repeatedly emphasized Saudi Arabia's denials of any involvement in Khashoggi's disappearance and hasn't expressed skepticism about their claims.
Meanwhile, Secretary of Mike Pompeo visited Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, where he was seen smiling with the crown prince.
Khashoggi's disappearance puts Trump in a precarious position
The Khashoggi case has placed an uncomfortable spotlight on the relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia, a country that has long been decried for its human rights record.
Even before Khashoggi went missing, the Trump administration was under pressure from members of Congress, human rights groups, and the international community to cease arms sales to Saudi Arabia as it continues to wage war in Yemen.
It's estimated the war in Yemen has led to at least 6,500 civilian deaths, including roughly 1,625 children, according to data collected by the UN human rights office.
Bombs made in the US have been involved in strikes that have killed Yemeni children, including a recent strike that hit a school bus and led to deaths of over 40 children and wounded more than 60.
From 2012 to 2016, the US was the world's top exporter of arms, and Saudi Arabia was its No. 1 customer.
Trump seems reluctant to cease this partnership, recently saying it would be a "tough pill to swallow." He's also not yet called for sanctions against Saudi Arabia, even as a bipartisan group of senators are pushing for the kingdom to be punished.