Iran's President Hassan Rouhani
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia would not have murdered prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi without American protection, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday Saudi authorities staged the "worst cover-up ever" in the killing of Khashoggi in Turkey this month, as the United States vowed to revoke the visas of some of those believed to be responsible.
"No one would imagine that in today's world and a new century that we would witness such an organised murder and a system would plan out such a heinous murder," Rouhani said, according to IRNA.
The only European interest is to reveal all the details of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the EU Council president said on Wednesday.Addressing the European Parliament’s plenary session in the eastern French city of Strasbourg, Donald Tusk said the killing of Khashoggi is a "a horrible crime"."It is not my role to state who wants to protect whose interests here. But I know one thing: the only European interest is to reveal all the details of this case, regardless of who is behind it," Tusk said.“Even the slightest trace of hypocrisy would bring shame on us,” he added.Erdoğan says will not let those responsible for Khashoggi killing avoid justiceKhashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, had gone missing since entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.After days of denying to know his whereabouts, Saudi Arabia last week claimed Khashoggi died during a fight inside the consulate.But Khashoggi's body has not been recovered, and Riyadh has yet to explain its shifting narrative on what transpired."Knowing your sensitivity and determination, I believe that you will not allow for Europe, the Member States or the institutions, to become involved in any ambiguous game," Tusk said.Khashoggi body double used ‘to aid cover-up’ of killing: APOn the day of Khashoggi’s disappearance, 15 other Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the consulate while he was still inside, according to Turkish police sources. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday laid out his country’s initial findings in its investigation, saying Khashoggi's murder was "premeditated".Erdoğan said all information and evidence that has been uncovered showed Khashoggi was the victim of a brutal murder.World media covers Erdoğan’s speech on Khashoggi murderSaudi Arabia will not penalize banks that boycotted conferenceSaudi crown prince to address investment forum amid Khashoggi furore
Europe’s interest is to clear Khashoggi case: Tusk
"I don't think that a country would dare commit such a crime without the protection of America."
Iran and Saudi Arabia are regional rivals and have supported opposing sides in the conflicts in Syria and Yemen and different political factions in Iraq and Lebanon.
U.S. protection has allowed Saudi Arabia to carry out bombings against civilians in Yemen's war, Rouhani said, according to IRNA.
"If there was no American protection, would the people of Yemen still have faced the same brutal bombing?" Rouhani said.
Turkey's president insisted on Wednesday his country would not allow those responsible for Jamal Khashoggi's killing to avoid justice, keeping up pressure on Riyadh amid global scepticism over varying Saudi accounts of the prominent journalist's death.President Donald Trump said on Tuesday Saudi authorities staged the "worst cover-up ever" in the killing of Khashoggi in Turkey this month, as the United States vowed to revoke the visas of some of those believed to be responsible."We are determined not to allow a cover-up of this murder and to make sure all those responsible - from those who ordered it to those who carried it out - will not be allowed to avoid justice," Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in a speech in Ankara.He said some people were uncomfortable with him sharing evidence in a speech on Tuesday about a killing stirring global outrage and straining ties between Riyadh and the West.Video: Erdoğan says Turkey has strong evidence Khashoggi murder was ‘premeditated’But he added: "We will continue to share new evidence transparently with our counterparts to enlighten the dark sides of this murder."On Tuesday Erdoğan urged Riyadh to search "from top to bottom" to uncover those behind the death of the veteran Saudi journalist in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.CIA Director Gina Haspel, in Turkey to investigate the death of Khashoggi, has sought to hear the purported audio recording of his torture and murder, four sources familiar with her mission told Reuters.For Saudi Arabia’s allies, the question will be whether they believe that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has painted himself as a reformer, has any culpability in the killing, a possibility raised by several U.S. lawmakers.Khashoggi body double used ‘to aid cover-up’ of killing: APCONFLICTING ACCOUNTSSaudi Arabia has given conflicting accounts about Khashoggi's killing, first denying his death and later saying that Khashoggi - a U.S. resident and columnist for the Washington Post - died inside the consulate after a fight.On Sunday Riyadh called the killing a "huge and grave mistake," but sought to shield the crown prince from the widening crisis, saying Mohammed bin Salman had not been aware.Saudi Arabia has detained 18 people and dismissed five senior government officials as part of the investigation. One of those fired includes Saud al-Qahtani, a top aide to Prince Mohammed. According to two intelligence sources, Qahtani ran Khashoggi's killing by giving orders over Skype.Iran: Riyadh would not have murdered Khashoggi without US protectionTurkish security sources say that when Khashoggi entered the consulate, he was seized by 15 Saudi intelligence operatives who had flown in on two jets just hours before.The weeks of denial and lack of credible evidence in the face of allegations from Turkish officials that Khashoggi had been killed have shaken global confidence in ties with the world's top oil exporter.In the latest sign of unease, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said the killing pointed clearly to a violation of human rights that required a review of Switzerland's ties to Riyadh.Europe’s interest is to clear Khashoggi case: Tusk"On Monday, we demanded for a third time via a Saudi embassy employee that the affair be quickly explained," Cassis told Swiss tabloid Blick. "Every day, we get another smidgen of new information. That's regrettable.""The clues that are emerging centimeter by centimeter speak a clear language: A violation of human rights and the rule of law," he added. "We have to ask ourselves the question of what that means for our bilateral relations. And we will definitely do that."Separately, President Hassan Rouhani of Iran, a regional rival of Saudi Arabia, said Riyadh would not have murdered Khashoggi without American protection, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). UN would investigate Khashoggi if Turkey requestsWho is al-Madani, Khashoggi’s body double?US complicity in Saudi abuses starker than before
Turkey won't let Khashoggi killers escape justice: Erdoğan
Jamal Khashoggi was targeted inside Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Turkey and a “body double was on hand to aid in a cover-up,” The Associated Press reported on Wednesday.Three weeks after Khashoggi went missing, Saudi Arabia has offered various explanations all with conflicting accounts of what happened to the journalist.“Saudi officials tell the AP they did in fact send a team to Turkey that included a forensics expert and a member whose job was to dress in the 59-year-old writer’s clothes and pretend to be him,” The AP reported.Video: CCTV footage purports to show man resembling Khashoggi leaving consulateKhashoggi vanished after entering the Saudi consulate on Oct. 2 to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage.Soon after he went missing, Turkish officials said 15 Saudis arrived in Istanbul on the day of his disappearance in two planes and visited the consulate while he was still inside.The account of the events provided to The AP by two Saudi officials confirms that the murder was premeditated, and also reveals attempts to isolate the horrific event from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.Who is al-Madani, Khashoggi’s body double?The officials said the Saudi operatives were acting on the orders of King Salman’s predecessor, King Abdullah, who sought for Saudi dissidents to be brought back to the kingdom to allegedly discuss the nation’s future.The plan was purportedly to take Khashoggi from the consulate to a “safe house” for questioning, but “the operation with Khashoggi turned violent.”“The team included a former Khashoggi colleague who advised him to return to the kingdom. When that failed, the writer, by their account, asked if he was going to be kidnapped. Told he was going to be taken to a safe house, they say he started to yell for help. That’s when an unidentified person on the team applied a chokehold, which the officials said was intended only to keep Khashoggi quiet but ended up killing him instead.”Saudi Arabia will not penalize banks that boycotted conferenceNine of the 15-member squad “panicked and made plans with a local Turkish “collaborator” to remove the body. One official said the body was rolled up in some sort of material and taken from the consulate by the collaborator.”Khashoggi was a U.S. resident who wrote columns for the Washington Post and a critic of the Saudi government, calling for reforms.After denying any involvement in the disappearance of Khashoggi, 59, for two weeks, Saudi Arabia on Saturday morning said he had died in a fistfight at the consulate. An hour later, another Saudi official attributed the death to a chokehold, which a senior official reiterated.G7, EU condemn Saudi journalist's murderUN would investigate Khashoggi if Turkey requestsTurkish, Saudi officials examine Saudi consulate carUS complicity in Saudi abuses starker than before'EU reaction on Khashoggi depends on Saudi steps'Trump rips Saudi Arabia's Khashoggi plotUS to pull visas of Saudis involved in Khashoggi death
Khashoggi body double used ‘to aid cover-up’ of killing: AP
The UN said Tuesday it would investigate the case of killed Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi if Turkey requests.“We will wait to see whether we get a formal request from Turkey," UN spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters. "If we get something like that we will evaluate it and make a decision based on the request we received.”For any UN probe to be successful the international body would need the cooperation of all relevant parties, Haq added.'EU reaction on Khashoggi depends on Saudi steps'Khashoggi, who wrote for the Washington Post, was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.After denying knowledge of Khashoggi's whereabouts for more than two weeks, Saudi Arabia on Saturday said he was killed during a fight inside the diplomatic facility.But Khashoggi's body has not been recovered, and Riyadh has yet to explain its shifting narrative on what transpired.Trump rips Saudi Arabia's Khashoggi plotStephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, said shortly after Saudi Arabia's announcement that the UN chief "is deeply troubled by the confirmation of the death of Jamal Khashoggi."Guterres "stresses the need for a prompt, thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Khashoggi’s death and full accountability for those responsible," Guterres said.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan earlier Tuesday laid out his country’s initial findings in its investigation, saying Khashoggi's murder was "premeditated."Erdoğan said all information and evidence that has been uncovered showed Khashoggi was the victim of a brutal murder.Saudi teams explored Istanbul's Belgrad Forest and the northwestern province of Yalova before murdering Khashoggi, Erdoğan said.US to pull visas of Saudis involved in Khashoggi death
UN would investigate Khashoggi if Turkey requests