The US State Department on Monday barred entry to 16 Saudi nationals over what it described as their role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, AFP reported.
The announcement by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo comes as the administration of President Donald Trump has faced pressure from Congress over its response to the killing in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October, which sparked unprecedented international scrutiny of the kingdom's human rights record.
A statement by the State Department listed the individuals and said they had been designated under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act of 2019.
The State Department had previously revoked the visas of nearly two dozen Saudi officials and froze the assets of 17 others.