Saudi prince warns of 'unimaginable' oil prices
September 30, 2019
In a television interview, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called for global action against Iran and warned that oil prices could otherwise rise astronomically.
Bin Salman blamed Iran for the September 14 attack on Saudi oil facilities that cut its production by half and led to a spike in oil prices.
"If the world does not take a strong and firm action to deter Iran, we will see further escalations that will threaten world interests," he told CBS program 60 Minutes.
"Oil supplies will be disrupted and oil prices will jump to unimaginably high numbers that we haven't seen in our lifetimes," he said in the program aired late on Sunday.
The US, France, Germany and Britain have backed Saudi assertions that Iran was behind the attack, as opposed to the Houthi rebel group that has claimed responsibility.
The crown prince said he would prefer a political rather than a military response to Iran, as a war between Saudi Arabia and Iran would collapse the global economy.
In the same interview, bin Salman — also known by his initials MBS — also denied ordering the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Turkey, but said that as leader of the country he bore responsibility.
"This was a heinous crime," he told the program. "But I take full responsibility as a leader in Saudi Arabia, especially since it was committed by individuals working for the Saudi government." Prince Mohammed said he was "absolutely not" behind the killing, calling it "a mistake."
Read more: 'You will suffocate me': Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's last words to his murderers
Khashoggi's murder in October 2018 triggered an international backlash against Saudi Arabia, with the US Congress blaming the crown prince for the killing, and the United Nations calling for an investigation into his role in the slaying.
aw/rc (AP, Reuters, dpa)