Press TV - Saudi Major General Ahmed al-Assiri, who has allegedly been fired over killing of Jamal Khashoggi, took part at a meeting in Riyadh in 2017 that involved plans to assassinate the kingdom�s �determined enemy,� Iran�s Major General Qassem Soleimani as well as sabotaging Iran�s economy, The New York Times reports, citing three sources familiar with the matter.

The March 2017 meeting in Riyadh, brought together businessmen that �pitched a $2 billion plan to use private intelligence operatives to sabotage the Iranian economy,� read the report released Sunday.

�Top Saudi intelligence officials close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman asked a small group of businessmen last year about using private companies to assassinate Iranian enemies of the kingdom,� it said.

As the meeting came at a time that bin Salman was consolidating his power in the kingdom, the report concludes that planning for assassinations, like that of dissident journalist Khashoggi, started �since the beginning of Prince Mohammed�s ascent.�

Assiri�s top aides also �inquired about killing� Iran�s General Soleimani as the attendees were trying to �win Saudi funding for their plan,� read the report by the US daily.

Iran�s foreign ministry has accused Washington of seeking to wage an extensive �psychological war� against Tehran, insisting that such US measures are not worthy of much concern.

The new revelation adds to the embarrassment the US ally is facing in the wake of Khashoggi�s assassination at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul as well as violation of human rights in the war on Yemen.
�The interest in assassinations, covert operations and military campaigns like the war in Yemen � overseen by Prince Mohammed � is a change for the kingdom, which historically has avoided an adventurous foreign policy that could create instability and imperil Saudi Arabia�s comfortable position as one of the world�s largest oil suppliers,� added the report.
Turkish intelligence intercepts reportedly show that Khashoggi, who was last seen entering the Saudi mission in Istanbul on October 2, was murdered on a direct order from the Saudi de facto ruler.

Saudi Arabia has acknowledged the murder, yet left many questions unanswered.

Khashoggi had been there to obtain a document certifying he divorced his ex-wife.