Pompeo called Khashoggi's murder "a tragic incident" and "not something that America approves of"

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday said investigations into the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi were still ongoing but that the United States would hold those found responsible accountable for his death.

Pompeo's comments to Fox News echoed U.S. President Donald Trump's stance on the killing even as the CIA has assessed with medium to high confidence that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered Khashoggi's death.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and U.S. resident, was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, provoking an political crisis in Saudi Arabia and tearing relations with the United States and other Western allies.

Pompeo called Khashoggi's murder "a tragic incident" and "not something that America approves of," and pointed to sanctions that the United States has imposed on 17 Saudis that is has said were responsible.

Pompeo and Trump have called Saudi an important partner in the fight against Iran, and Pompeo is scheduled to attend a United Nations meeting to discuss Iran later on Wednesday.

Nikki Haley, the outgoing U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, also noted the U.S.-Saudi partnership but also called on the administration to figure out a path forward.

"We need to have a serious, hard talk with the Saudis to let them know we won't condone this, we won't give you a pass and don't do this again. And then I think that the administration has to talk about where we go from here," she told NBC News in a separate interview that aired on Wednesday.