The United States has sanctioned 17 individuals connected to the killing. U.S. lawmakers have called for the United States to suspend some arms sales to Saudi Arabia.
Trump’s comments on Tuesday illustrate how his administration has relied on Saudi Arabia to pump more oil and convince a group of producers to increase output in order to keep prices low. Trump’s declaration of support for Saudi Arabia comes just two weeks before OPEC, Russia and several other producers meet to decide whether to reverse course and cut production next year.
The cost of crude began rising earlier this year as Trump prepared to restore sanctions on Iran, OPEC’s third biggest oil producer. On Tuesday, Trump said Saudi Arabia had helped him prevent oil prices from spiking above $100 a barrel.
“Right now we have oil prices in great shape. I’m not going to destroy the world economy, and I’m not going to destroy the economy for our country by being foolish with Saudi Arabia,” he said.
“I think the statement was pretty obvious what I said. It’s about America First.”
In May, Trump pulled the United States out of a nuclear accord with Iran, against the wishes of U.S. allies in Europe that helped negotiate the deal alongside U.S. diplomats. Saudi Arabia is Iran’s chief rival for regional influence and backed Trump’s exit from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
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