Iran press/ America: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said on Thursday he told Donald Trump to give Saudi Arabia "a few more days to complete" an investigation into the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, CNBC reported.
Pompeo said that Saudi officials told him during a visit to the kingdom this week that "they will conduct a complete, thorough investigation of all of the facts surrounding Khashoggi, and that they will do so in a timely fashion."
The remarks came after the secretary of State met with the American president in the White House.
Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist critical of the kingdom's royal family, had entered a Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey on Oct. 2 and has not been seen since. Turkish officials have told news outlets that Khashoggi was murdered by a Saudi-backed hit team inside the consulate, but Saudi Arabia insists Khashoggi left the consulate shortly after he arrived.
Related news:
Saudi Arabia preparing to admit Khashoggi murder during interrogation
Investigation begins at Saudi consulate in Istanbul over Khashoggi disappearance
US senators urge Trump to slap sanctions on Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi
U.S. lawmakers of both parties have criticized Saudi Arabia in the wake of Khashoggi's disappearance. A bipartisan group of senators sent a letter to Trump last week triggering a statute that requires the administration to investigate the incident.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Thursday, Pompeo said the U.S. wants to "allow the process to play out."
Trump, in an interview with the Associated Press on Tuesday, said he did not like how the process was playing out as a case of "you're guilty until proven innocent." Trump compared the treatment of Saudi Arabia to allegations of sexual misconduct against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation process.
"I will say they were very strong in their denial about themselves knowing," Trump added during that interview.
The US president announced in a tweet Monday that he was sending Pompeo to speak with Saudi Arabia's King Salman.
On that trip, Pompeo also flew to Ankara, the capital of Turkey, where he met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the missing journalist.
Related news:
Anonymous Turkish Official: Missing Saudi journalist killed on order of Riyadh
UN secretary general, Guterres "very concerned" about Saudi journalist's fate
Erdogan on Saudi journalist vanishing: "Upsetting this event happened in Turkey"
In his remarks Thursday, Pompeo also said it was important to be mindful of the United States' "long strategic relationship" with the Saudi kingdom.
Related news:
Trump and Saudi Arabia: Long, deep business ties
Turkish police search Saudi consul's residence
Saudi Arabia has been under intense international pressure to explain Khashoggi's apparent death after he visited the consulate on October 2 to obtain papers that would have allowed him to marry his Turkish fiancée.
The affair has created a diplomatic rift between Saudi Arabia and the West and led to international firms pulling out of a high-profile summit in Riyadh. The CEOs of three top banks -- Standard Chartered, HSBC and Credit Suisse -- announced their withdrawal from the conference Tuesday.
Khashoggi's family called for an independent, international commission to investigate the case.
Read More:
Pompeo meets Saudi King to discuss the disappearance of dissident Saudi journalist
Europe calls on Saudi Arabia, Turkey to undertake a 'credible' Khashoggi probe
