Saudis killed Khashoggi with US support: Iran’s Rouhani

ANKARA (AA) – Saudi Arabia would not have dared to kill journalist Jamal Khashoggi without U.S. backing, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday.

Speaking in a cabinet session, Rouhani described Khashoggi’s murder as “organized”, saying Saudis would not have dared to “commit the crime without American support”.

The Iranian leader called on the Turkish government to continue to carry out an impartial investigation into the Saudi journalist’s murder.

Khashoggi, a Saudi national and columnist for the Washington Post, was last seen entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

After weeks of denying involvement in his disappearance, Saudi Arabia on Saturday announced that he died in a fight inside the consulate.

World leaders have called on the Saudi government to provide more concrete answers on his death amid a global outcry.

On 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 Erdogan on Tuesday laid out his country’s initial findings in its investigation, saying Khashoggi's murder was "premeditated".