The Biden administration on Sunday defended itself against criticism it failed to punish Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for his role in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, as allies of the US president left the door open to further action.

Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, said the US wanted to “recalibrate” relations with Saudi Arabia, but not destroy them by imposing sanctions directly on Prince Mohammed after a US intelligence report found he approved an operation to “capture or kill” the veteran journalist in Turkey in 2018.

“Even in recent history Democratic and Republican administrations, there have not been sanctions put in place for the leaders of foreign governments where we have diplomatic relations — and even where we don’t have diplomatic relations,” Psaki told CNN.