23-11-18 02:21:00,
The Duran Quick Take: Episode 22.
Published
48 mins ago
on
November 23, 2018
RT CrossTalk host Peter Lavelle and The Duran’s Alex Christoforou take a quick look at US President Donald Trump’s recent statement to the press that he will continue to build on America’s long standing relationship with Saudi Arabia, in spite of massive pressure to punish the Kingdom and its rogue prince for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Meanwhile Saudi Arabia is issuing its own red lines, claiming that criticism of MbS will not go unpunished.
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Via Zerohedge…
Now that President Trump has not only given Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman a pass on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, but in his Tuesday written statement even heaped praise on the kingdom while ultimately blaming Iran for destabilizing the region, Riyadh has come out swinging and put political enemies on notice.
In an official statement issued Wednesday the Saudi foreign ministry warned that any any criticism of MbS is a “red line” that would not be tolerated. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir specifically related his comments to the Khashoggi case, saying that calls for MbS to be held account would not be tolerated, according to the AFP.
“In Saudi Arabia our leadership is a red line. The custodian of the two holy mosques (King Salman) and the crown prince are a red line,” Jubeir told the BBC in an interview discussing the ongoing Khashoggi murder probe.
The Saudi FM said that not even so much as “discussion” would be tolerated, saying of the kingdom’s rulers:
They represent every Saudi citizen and every Saudi citizen represents them. And we will not tolerate any discussion of anything that is disparaging towards our monarch or our crown prince.
Up until Trump’s White House letter underscoring the United States’ continued close relations with the Saudis, MbS’ future prospects for an easy ascent to his father’s throne were shaken by the revelation that the CIA assessed MbS had ordered the October 2nd grisly murder and dismemberment of Khashoggi.