Saudi Crown Prince Warns of ‘Unimaginable’ Oil Price Surge over Iran Tensions

Lead Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman warned on CBS’s 60 Minutes that failure to deter Iran after the Sept. 14 attack on Saudi oil facilities could send oil prices soaring to “unimaginably high” levels, calling for urgent global action.

Nut Graf In a rare televised interview, the Crown Prince framed the attack on key oil infrastructure as a direct threat to global energy security, urging political rather than military measures to prevent a collapse of the world economy.

Regional Flashpoint and Oil Risks

The Sept. 14 drone-and-missile strikes on Aramco facilities halved Saudi output, underscoring the vulnerability of Gulf oil supplies and triggering an immediate price rally.
MBS blamed Iran rather than Yemen’s Houthi rebels for the assault, aligning Saudi claims with U.S., French, British and German assessments.
“If the world does not take strong, firm action to deter Iran, oil supplies will be disrupted and oil prices will jump to unimaginably high numbers that we haven’t seen in our lifetimes,” he said.

Political vs. Military Response Prince Mohammed emphasized a preference for diplomatic solutions over armed conflict with Iran, warning that a full-scale Saudi-Iran war would devastate the global economy. He urged unified international pressure and sanctions as the first line of defense.

Accountability and Khashoggi Fallout Asked about the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Crown Prince denied ordering the assassination yet took responsibility for the actions of government agents. “This was a heinous crime … I take full responsibility as a leader in Saudi Arabia,” he told CBS.

Implications for Global Markets

Analysts warn that renewed Middle East instability could drive Brent crude well above historic peaks, risking energy shocks for import-dependent economies.
Saudi Arabia has vowed to restore production swiftly but said market confidence hinges on deterring future attacks.
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