News - World: The White House on Monday defended the president’s plans to visit Saudi Arabia and meet its Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman although US intelligence concluded that the prince was the one who ordered the killing of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

US officials considered that while Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia has not yet been confirmed; The expected visit will serve US national interests.

“This trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia — when it comes — would be in the context of significant deliverables for the American people in the Middle East region,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.

“If he determines that it’s in the interest of the United States to engage with a foreign leader and that such an engagement can deliver results, then he’ll do so,” she said.

Saudi Arabia “has been a strategic partner of the United States for nearly 80 years. There’s no question that important interests are interwoven with” the country.

Amid a flurry of criticism that Biden was going back on his earlier pledge to treat Saudi Arabia as a “pariah” because of Khashoggi’s killing, the White House refused to confirm the reports.

Subsequently, US media reports said the trip had been postponed, possibly to July.