TEHRAN, 07 July 2021, (TON): Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman is meeting with top Biden administration officials in the United States, just months after a US intelligence report linked his brother, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said “Khalid bin Salman is expected to meet with Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan, as well as with US State and Defense Department officials.”

“They’ll discuss the longstanding partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia, regional security and the US commitment to help Saudi Arabia defend its territory,” Psaki told reporters, adding that the murder of Khashoggi would also likely come up.

The high-level Saudi visit, which had not been announced in advance, comes after rights groups and US legislators had urged US President Joe Biden to sanction MBS for his role in the killing of Khashoggi.

Khashoggi was killed in October 2018 at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, where he had gone to retrieve documents for his upcoming marriage.