Khashoggi, who was a vocal critic of the Saudi royal family, was last seen entering the country’s consulate in Istanbul on October 2. There, Turkish authorities allege, Khashoggi was killed and dismembered by a team of 15 men linked to the Saudi royal court. Saudi Arabia, which previously denied having anything to do with his disappearance, later said Khashoggi was killed in the consulate as part of an unauthorized operation, and affirmed that those who were responsible would be punished.

Hassan Hassan: What’s missing from the Saudis’ Khashoggi story

Though the U.K. was among the first countries to publicly respond to reports of Khashoggi’s disappearance, it has so far stopped short of detailing the potential repercussions for Saudi Arabia, with whom it shares counterterrorism intelligence and a multibillion-pound trading relationship. Germany, for example, has said it would consider halting arms exports.

When pressed on whether Britain would consider doing the same, Hunt said the government would await the final outcome of the investigation before making any decisions. “If the appalling stories we are reading turn out to be true, they are fundamentally incompatible with our values and we will act accordingly,” he told British lawmakers on Monday, but added: “We have an important strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia involving defense and security cooperation, which has saved lives on the streets of Britain. We also have a trading partnership that supports thousands of jobs.”

Jonathan Schanzer: The experts were wrong about the Middle East.

That the suspected murder implicates a longtime ally is just one of the reasons the U.K. has been under pressure to address the allegations. Another is the timing: It was only seven months ago that Britain retaliated against the Russian government’s alleged assassination attempt on the Skripals. Some fear failing to respond in a similar manner now—especially when it concerns an ally—could be regarded as hypocrisy.

In addition to being one of Britain’s key trading partners, Saudi Arabia is also considered the lifeblood of its arms-exports industry. Half of Britain’s arms exports go to Saudi Arabia in terms of value, David Wearing, the author of AngloArabia: Why Gulf Wealth Matters to Britain, told me. Though exports to Saudi Arabia made up just 1 percent of the U.K.’s total export value in 2016, the value of the relationship goes beyond money. Selling arms to Saudi Arabia, Wearing said, helps Britain “project power into a really strategically significant part of the world … Britain needs a domestic arms industry to ensure that it can continue being a major international military power.”

The U.K. isn’t the only country giving its Gulf ally the benefit of the doubt—for now. President Donald Trump on Friday appeared to accept Saudi Arabia’s explanation of what happened to Khashoggi, which he dubbed “credible.” Though the president has so far ruled out suspending U.S. arms sales to Riyadh as a punishment, a more severe response could come from Congress, which has already signaled that it has bipartisan support to act if the allegations are proved true.