Whole lotta spinnin’ in the headlines this morning- I prefer quotes from source. From the horses mouth, so to speak. Below there will be excerpts from the interview (discussed in article) transcript.Forbes: Saudi Crown Prince Denies Khashoggi Killing, Warns Of Oil Price Spike Over Iran Escalation Topline: Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammad bin Salman has denied ordering the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but took “full responsibility” for the crime committed by Saudi officials in a CBS 60 Minutes interview.
- The country's de facto leader, Mohammad bin Salman, denied responsibility of the killing of Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul but said he took full responsibility for the actions on the Saudi operatives.
Transcript:Norah O'Donnell: Did you order the murder of Jamal Khashoggi?Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): Absolutely not. This was a heinous crime. But I take full responsibility as a leader in Saudi Arabia, especially since it was committed by individuals working for the Saudi government.Norah O'Donnell: What does that mean that you take responsibility?Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): When a crime is committed against a Saudi citizen by officials, working for the Saudi government, as a leader I must take responsibility. This was a mistake. And I must take all actions to avoid such a thing in the future.Norah O'Donnell: The world wants the answer to this question. How did you not know about this operation?Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): Some think that I should know what three million people working for the Saudi government do daily? It's impossible that the three million would send their daily reports to the leader or the second highest person in the Saudi government.Norah O'Donnell: Two of your closest advisors who are accused of orchestrating this plot were fired by the king, removed from your inner circle. The question is, how could you not know if this was carried out by people who are close to you?Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): Today the investigations are being carried out. And once charges are proven against someone, regardless of their rank, it will be taken to court, no exception made.Norah O'Donnell: I've read what the Saudi prosecutor has said about those that are charged in this murder. And it's gruesome, the details. When you heard that people close to you and in your government carried out such a grisly murder, and that the American government thinks that you ordered it, what did you think?Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): I believe what you mentioned is not correct. There isn't an official statement announced by the American government in this regard. There isn't clear information or evidence that someone close to me did something to that effect. There are charges and they're being investigated. But again you cannot imagine the pain that we suffered, especially as the Saudi government, from a crime such as this one.Yemen is discussed, Including this acknowledgement: "Since 2015, the United States has provided limited support to Saudi Arabia in their war against an Iranian-backed militia, to their south, in Yemen. The United Nations estimates that the conflict has left more than 19,000 civilians dead or injured. 10 million people are starving"Oil Prices: Forbes:
MBS also spoke out for the first time about two crippling attacks on the country’s oil plants, calling for global action to “deter Iran” which Saudi Arabia has accused of being behind the attacks. He told CBS: “If the world does not take a strong and firm action to deter Iran, we will see further escalations that will threaten the world’s interests. Oil supplies will be disrupted and oil prices will jump to unimaginably high numbers that we haven’t seen in our lifetimes.”
Transcript:Norah O'Donnell: What do you think was the strategic reason that Iran struck Aramco?Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): I believe it's stupidity. There is no strategic goal. Only a fool would attack 5% of global supplies. The only strategic goal is to prove that they are stupid and that is what they did.Norah O'Donnell: Secretary Mike Pompeo has called what Iran did in his words, "an act of war." Was it an act of war?Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): Of course. Yes.Norah O'Donnell: What kind of effect would a war between Saudi Arabia and Iran have on the region?Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): The region represents about 30% of the world's energy supplies, about 20% of global trade passages, about 4% of the world GDP. Imagine all of these three things stop. This means a total collapse of the global economy, and not just Saudi Arabia or the Middle East countries. Recent Related:
- Cruise Missiles Used in Saudi Oil Facility Attack? US Weapons Did NOT Protect the Facilities Effectively
- Saudi Oil Attack: Is this the Big One? If it is, who is it the "big one" for? ARAMACO's Pending Stock Offering?
Also important:
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How a post-Khashoggi US 'correction' on Saudi relations could unfold: Transactional VS Soft Power
“Under this White House, the US-Saudi relationship has been overwhelmingly focused on military-to-military relations … and left to the relationship between [Trump son-in-law] Jared Kushner and [Saudi Crown Prince] Mohammed bin Salman, but we’re going to see some correction,” says Elizabeth Prodromou, a professor of conflict resolution at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Medford, Mass.“This event will push the Trump White House to make some adjustments, and the question will be whether the White House takes the lead in that correction or Congress pushes the White House to take action,” she says. “But either way, we’re going to go in the same direction.”