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US 'focused on future conduct’ amid calls to sanction MBS

State Department spokesperson Ned Price responded to criticism that the administration has failed to hold Saudi Arabia's crown prince accountable for Jamal Khashoggi's murder.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price gestures as he speaks during the daily press briefing at the State Department in Washington, DC, on February 25, 2021. (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM / POOL / AFP) (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The Biden administration is defending its decision to not personally sanction Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, despite a US intelligence report concluding Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler was complicit in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. 

“We are very focused on future conduct,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters on Monday. “We feel that we can have the most influence over this partnership when it is cast as a recalibration, not a rupture.”

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