The Saudis are still denying any knowledge of what happened to journalist Jamal Khashoggi, widely reported killed inside their consulate in Istanbul.

This, despite reports King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will “confess” that Khashoggi was killed accidentally by “rogue” agents sent to Turkey only to interrogate and/or kidnap him.

Even that pathetic story defies all credibility — not to mention evidence of a 12-man forensic team (one of them an autopsy specialist armed with a bone saw) dispatched to Turkey hours before Khashoggi entered the consulate.

Little wonder that fury is growing in Washington, including from a longtime key Saudi supporter, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who says he’s “personally offended” and set to “sanction the hell” out of Riyadh.

“Things like that are not rogue,” said Graham. “I believe this was orchestrated at the highest levels of the government.”

The Saudis had best take heed: They can’t count on longtime allies here. President Trump would love to find a way out of this mess, but has warned of “severe punishment” once he has enough hard information.

Problem is, Trump is days away from implementing a new round of tough economic sanctions on Iran, cutting off its oil exports — and the tactic’s success depends on the Saudis not disrupting the global oil market.

Granted, weakening the alliance will hit Saudi Arabia hard, too. And Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who flew to Riyadh, took great pains to emphasize US-Saudi ties.

But Washington can’t turn a blind eye to murder — and the Saudis have only themselves to blame. They created this situation, and they’re going to have to pay some price for their blatant thuggery.