US to make "very strong" statement over missing journalist

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R front) shakes hands with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L front) in Ankara, Turkey, on Oct. 17, 2018. [Photo/Xinhua]

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that it seems that the missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead, and the United States will make a "very strong" statement about his case.

When asked by the media whether he believed Khashoggi is dead, Trump said that "it certainly looks that way to me. It's very sad. Certainly looks that way."

Trump said the possible consequences for the Saudi side, if it is confirmed behind Khashoggi's death, "will have to be very severe."

"But we're waiting for the results of about three different investigations, and we should be able to get to the bottom fairly soon," he said.

Earlier on the same day, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo briefed Trump about his just-concluded tour to Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The top U.S. diplomat said that Saudi Arabia shall be given "a few more days" on its probe of the disappearance of Khashoggi.

Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said after meeting with Trump and Pompeo that he has decided to cancel his coming trip to the kingdom for a major trade conference.

The case of Khashoggi, a journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, has become a major source of tension between Saudi Arabia and the West.

Khashoggi has been missing since he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Unconfirmed reports said that Khashoggi was likely killed inside the compound, a claim denied by Saudi officials as "baseless."