Photo ReutersUS President Donald Trump said the United States would be "punishing" itself by halting military sales to Saudi Arabia even if it is proven that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside the country's consulate in Istanbul. Trump has forged closer ties with Saudi Arabia and is under international and domestic pressure to help determine what happened to Khashoggi and punish Saudi Arabia if investigations show its government had him killed. Under US law, major foreign military sales can be blocked by Congress. "If they don’t buy it from us, they’re going to buy it from Russia or they’re going to buy it from China," he said. The Trump administration plans to reimpose sanctions on oil exports from Iran on Nov. 5 and Trump has urged Saudi Arabia to boost oil output to help make up for the loss.

Source: Otago Daily Times October 13, 2018 22:30 UTC