The Secretary of the Treasury of EE. UU., Mnuchin, goes to Saudi Arabia to solidify the alliance against Iran
The Secretary of the Treasury of EE. UU., Mnuchin, goes to Saudi Arabia to solidify the alliance against Iran
JERUSALEM: President Trump's chief financial envoy on Sunday described the administration's difficult road to emerging from one of its thorniest foreign policy dilemmas: securing a strategic alliance with Saudi Arabia overcomes the consequences of murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who was heading to Saudi Arabia on Monday in the face of an uproar over the dissident's death, said the administration believes his relationship with Riyadh is critical to the success of his pressure campaign in Iran. But the United States faces a national and foreign furor over the assassination of Mr. Khashoggi, including members of the president's party.
Mr. Mnuchin said that it was too early in the investigations into Mr. Khashoggi's death to discuss the sanction of the kingdom. But he suggested that the United States in general should punish serious human rights abuses and attack those responsible for them, leaving the door open for possible punitive action.
As the main rival of Iranian power in the Middle East and a crucial oil supplier, Saudi Arabia is key to the administration's plans to force Tehran to abandon its nuclear aspirations and eradicate its efforts to become the dominant power in the region.
Mr. Mnuchin said that his message when visiting Saudi Arabia was that the two countries "have very important problems on which we continue to focus," including the fight against the financing of terrorism and the fight against Iran.
"We will continue in that relationship, while at the same time we want to get to the bottom of the facts about Khashoggi's situation, which is obviously a terrible situation," Mnuchin said after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The situation is complicated by the participation of Turkey, since Mr. Khashoggi was assassinated in the consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that he will soon reveal the truth about how Mr. Khashoggi was killed.
"We are looking for justice here, and [the facts] It will be revealed in all its naked truth, "Erdogan said, promising to reveal the details during a speech to lawmakers from his ruling AK Party on Tuesday.
Mr. Mnuchin last week sent a message of reproach to Saudi Arabia on behalf of canceling plans to talk in the Future Investment Initiative, a critical conference to promote Prince Mohammed bin Salman's plans to restructure the economy.
Mr. Mnuchin's withdrawal from so-called "Davos in the desert" put an end to the week-long hemorrhage of the summit of dozens of top financial and investment executives.
Saudi Arabia said early Saturday that Mr. Khashoggi died in his Istanbul consulate after a fight. Some 18 Saudi citizens have been arrested in connection with the incident, and two senior officials have been relieved of their duties.
That has done little to calm the furor, and authorities said Mr. Trump is weighing a more formal response even when he gives Riyadh time to complete his investigation.
Lawmakers called for sanctions against Saudi Arabia on Sunday, and some want the administration to cancel a $ 110 billion arms deal with Riyadh. Members of Congress from both parties have taken A rougher tone than the administration., especially since the Saudis on Friday night quoted a fight that went out of hand to explain the death of Mr. Khashoggi.
"It is insulting to anyone who is analyzing this with some kind of intelligent background to think that a fist fight led to a dismemberment with a bone saw," said Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, on Fox News on Sunday.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D., California) said this ABC week: "I do not think this Saudi account is credible at all." Schiff, the leading Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, called for an examination of our relationship with Saudi Arabia. "
Hitting Riyadh with a series of sanctions could endanger Saudi Arabia's cooperation in Iran and terrorist financing, some analysts say, and Mr. Trump has rejected Calls to stop the sale of Saudi weapons.
Strict sanctions, including some against the main decision-makers in Saudi Arabia, "will cause serious damage to the relationship," said Neil Quilliam, a senior fellow at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London.
Mr. Mnuchin said it would be "premature to comment on the sanctions" before the investigations are completed.
Although Mr. Mnuchin acknowledged that Khashoggi's murder could affect relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia, he said he had not subverted the long-standing strategic relationship.
The secretary's visit to Saudi Arabia, the second stop on a tour of six countries, comes days before the November deadline, when the toughest US sanctions against Iran become effective.
The United States earlier this year taken out of the 2015 nuclear agreement With Iran Against the wishes of European allies, who were also part of the agreement, the government launched a campaign to get Iran out of the world economy until Tehran accepts the new terms of Washington.
That would require extensive international cooperation. As the largest economy in the Middle East and home to the holiest places in Islam, Saudi Arabia has a great influence. It is also asked to increase production to compensate for the fall in Iranian oil exports.
Saudi Arabia, a long-time rival of Iran, has pledged to pump more oil and encourage compliance with sanctions. It is also a valuable source of intelligence for the US. UU On the provision of weapons, finance, technology and warriors from Tehran to its allies in Syria, Lebanon and other places, as well as terrorist groups.
Mr. Mnuchin plans to visit the Terrorist Financing Objective Center established in Riyadh last year by the United States, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and others.
That effort has not yet come to fruition, as many of the countries that are supposed to be members still do not have representatives in the facility. "We have more work to do," said Mnuchin.
-David Gauthier-Villars contributed to this article.
Write to Ian Talley in ian.talley@wsj.com
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