Saudi crown prince warns of ‘Iran threat’ to global oil

GBnews24desk//

Saudi Arabia’s crown prince has warned that oil prices could rise to “unimaginably high numbers” if the world does not act to deter Iran.

Mohammed bin Salman said a war between Saudi Arabia and Iran would ruin the global economy, following an attack on its oil facilities two weeks ago which it blames on Tehran.

Speaking to CBS News, he also said he accepted some responsibility for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

But he denied personally ordering it.

The prince, who is considered the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, is suspected of personally targeting Mr Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist critical of the government in Riyadh.

Mr Khashoggi was killed in Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Turkey on 2 October 2018.

In an interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes news programme on Sunday, he said: “I take full responsibility as a leader in Saudi Arabia, especially since it [the killing] was committed by individuals working for the Saudi government.”

However, he denied ordering the killing of Mr Khashoggi directly, or having knowledge of it at the time.

Saudi authorities have since blamed a “rogue” operation for his murder and put 11 men on trial.

The prince also appeared to offer talks for a political solution to the civil war in Yemen, where government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition are fighting Houthi rebels supported by Iran