A war between Saudi Arabia and Iran would cause a "total collapse of the world economy," Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman warned Sunday in a televised interview in the United States.

"If the world does not act strongly, firmly, to dissuade Iran, we will see an escalation even more serious that will threaten world interests," said "MBS" on the show "60 Minutes" on the chain CBS. He added: "the oil supply will be disrupted and prices will rise to unimaginable heights we have never seen in our lifetime."

According to him, the consequences of such a conflict would affect the whole planet: "the region represents about 30% of the world's energy supply, about 20% of the global merchandise traffic, about 4% of the world's GDP. that these three things stop all ".

"It will mean a total collapse of the global economy, not just Saudi Arabia or the Middle East," he said.

He said the September 14 attack on Saudi oil facilities, which Riyadh and Washington attributed to Iran, was absurd. "There is no strategic goal, only one nut would attack 5% of the world supply, the only strategic goal is to prove that they are stupid and that's what they did," he said. the son of King Salman.

Khashoggi case : "I must assume my responsibility"

He was also questioned whether he had ordered the assassination of the regime's critical journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul in October 2018. "Absolutely not," he replied, "it was a horrible crime. my entire responsibility as the leader of Saudi Arabia, especially since it is the work of individuals working for the Saudi government ".

"When a crime is committed against a Saudi national by officials working for the Saudi government, as a leader I must take responsibility, it was a mistake," he added.

The journalist's body, which disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, was never found, and the circumstances of his assassination never clearly established.

Mohammed bin Salman was indicted by an independent UN expert, who found "credible evidence" of his involvement, while the CIA deems it likely that the Crown Prince ordered the assassination. On the other hand, Saudi Arabia has cleared the strong man of the Wahhabi monarchy and imprisoned more than 20 people in the investigation of this murder, five of whom face the death penalty.

With AFP