US legislators want sanctions on MBS. Will they succeed?

Lawmakers are pushing President Joe Biden to take a harder line against Saudi leader over Jamal Khashoggi’s killing.

Less than two weeks after the release of an unclassified US intelligence report on the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, pressure continues to build in Washington for President Joe Biden to hold Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) accountable. The widely anticipated report confirmed what many human rights groups, United Nations experts and US lawmakers had long argued: the crown prince approved the operation to “capture or kill” Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. But the Biden administration has said it would not directly sanction or impose a travel ban on MBS; instead, it said it plans to “recalibrate” – but not “rupture” – Washington’s relationship with Riyadh, a longtime strategic ally.