Biden says Saudi 'announcement' to come Monday

U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters outside the White House that he would be 'making an announcement' on Saudi Arabia on Monday, with regards to the country's role in the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, though a White House official suggested it won't be anything new.

Jayson Albano reports.

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For Reuters customers only.~** "Mr. Biden, are you going to punish the Crown Prince?" "There'll be an announcement on Monday as to what we are going to be doing with Saudi Arabia generally." U.S. President Joe Biden reiterated on Saturday that he would be making an 'announcement' on Saudi Arabia on Monday, over the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

That follows a US intelligence report made public on Friday, which revealed that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, had approved the execution.

However a White House official played down the upcoming announcement, suggesting no new significant steps should be expected after Friday's moves.

The U.S. imposed a visa ban on some Saudis believed to have been involved in the murder and sanctioned others.

Until his death in 2018, Khashoggi had written opinion columns critical of the Crown Prince's policies.

He was killed and dismembered in the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul.

The Crown Prince has consistently denied any involvement and the Saudi government on Friday rejected the U.S. report, reiterating their claims that Khashoggi was killed by a rogue group.

Biden's administration faces growing pressure to take a tougher stance on the Crown Prince, who had not been sanctioned despite being blamed.