the pressure on saudi to reveal the insights about khashoggi’s disappearance from the us and other european countries has increased. saudi-us relations took an ugly turn on 14 october 2018, when trump promised "severe punishment" if the royal court was responsible for khashoggis’ death. the saudi foreign ministry retaliated with an equal statement saying, "it will respond with greater action," indicating the kingdom’s "influential and vital role in the global economy." a joint statement was issued by britain, france and germany also demanding a "credible investigation to establish the truth about what happened, and — if relevant — to identify those bearing responsibility for the disappearance of jamal khashoggi, and ensure that they are held to account."