President Biden spoke with Saudi King Salman on Thursday ahead of the anticipated release of a U.S. intelligence report on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi that is expected to implicate the king’s son, the Saudi crown prince.

The White House readout of the call made no mention of Khashoggi, but said the two leaders “affirmed the importance the United States places on universal human rights and the rule of law.”

“The President told King Salman he would work to make the bilateral relationship as strong and transparent as possible,” the readout stated. “The two leaders affirmed the historic nature of the relationship and agreed to work together on mutual issues of concern and interest.”

The waiting game: The United States is expected as early as Thursday night to release an unclassified report outlining the circumstances of Khashoggi’s death. Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and Saudi dissident who lived in Virginia, was lured to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018 where he was attacked, killed and dismembered.

The expected declassified report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) concludes Prince Mohammed approved and likely ordered Khashoggi murdered, according to a Reuters report.

The U.S. was reportedly waiting to release the report until after Biden had a chance to speak with the Saudi king.

An ODNI spokesperson responded to a request for comment from The Hill on Thursday saying “we have no update to offer on timing, content, or process matters related to the release.”

Next steps: The release of the report could just be the first step to hold the Saudis accountable for Khashoggi’s death.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at a Thursday press briefing that there are “a range of actions that are on the table” to hold the Saudis accountable, but that Biden would first have to speak to King Salman.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a briefing with reporters that the department is likely to “speak to steps to promote accountability going forward for this horrific crime” following the release of the report.

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