WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman has warned of the risk of oil prices shooting up to 'unimaginably high numbers' unless Iran's aggressive actions are effectively restricted.
The powerful prince of the oil rich country discussed the impact of a September attack on Saudi oil facilities in an interview to CBS News.
Air raids using drones on September 14 set on fire the Abqaiq plant, the world's largest oil processing facility, and the massive Khurais oil field, both run by state-run Aramco oil company.
Tehran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed they were behind the air strikes, but Saudi Arabia and the United states pointed their finger to Iran. Iran denied the allegation.
This attack didn't hit the heart of the Saudi energy industry, but rather the heart of the global energy industry, according to Salman. 'It disrupted 5.5 percent of the world's energy needs, the needs of the U.S. and China and the whole world'.
Asked what would be the result of a war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, he replied that it will be a total collapse of the global economy, as the region represents about 30 percent of the world's energy supplies, about 20 percent of global trade passages, and about 4 percent of the world GDP.
'If the world does not take a strong and firm action to deter Iran, we will see further escalations that will threaten world interests,' Salman told Norah O'Donnell, who is the anchor of the '60 Minutes' program. 'Oil supplies will be disrupted and oil prices will jump to unimaginably high numbers that we haven't seen in our lifetimes.'
The Saudi leader suggested that if Iran stops its support of the Houthi militia, the political solution to the prolonged war in Yemen will be much easier.
Salman denied the allegation that it was he who ordered the murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but accepted some responsibility for it.
Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post who had been living in the United States, was killed and dismembered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October last year. He was a staunch critic of the Saudi royal family.
'I take full responsibility as a leader in Saudi Arabia, especially since it was committed by individuals working for the Saudi government,' the second highest person in the Saudi government told Norah.
It was the first time that the Saudi crown prince discussed the death of Jamal Khashoggi in a television interview.
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