US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Monday held closed-door talks in Riyadh with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has faced a global backlash over journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder.

The official Saudi Press Agency said they stressed "the importance of the Saudi-US strategic partnership" in a meeting on the eve of a key investment conference in Riyadh. Mnuchin is among a wave of Western political leaders who pulled out of the forum amid global outrage over the journalist's murder in Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2018