Jamal Khashoggi and US–Saudi Relations

How has Jamal Khashoggi’s murder affected US–Saudi relations?

Despite intelligence linking the killing to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and subsequent sanctions, both the Trump and Biden administrations largely prioritized strategic interests over accountability, emphasizing security cooperation, energy interdependence, and countering Iran.

The case altered rhetoric but not the structure of US–Saudi relations, which ultimately normalized under geopolitical pragmatism.