© Associated Pres/Emrah GurelA poster of missing Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi, on a barrier that blocks the road leading to the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul.
"The Khashoggi case has become hysteria, investigations take time and facts get determined as the investigation goes on," Jubeir said at a forum in the Bahraini capital of Manama.
The country's relations with the United States are "iron-clad," the minister said, adding that during the tenure of Barack Obama in the White House, relations were difficult, but Donald Trump's foreign policy toward the kingdom is regarded as "rational and realistic."
Khashoggi was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Following more than two weeks of denials, Saudi Arabia admitted on October 19 that the journalist had been killed in a brawl inside the consulate. According to Riyadh, 18 people have been arrested over their suspected involvement in the incident. On Thursday, the Saudi prosecutor general acknowledged that the journalist's murder had been orchestrated in advance.
Comment: The fallout over Jamal Khashoggi's murder continues. It would almost be a diplomatic comedy of bluster, posturing and behind-the-scenes horse trading, were it not for the heinous event at the heart of it all.