Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman guidelines Saudi Arabia day-to-day on behalf of his father, the king. The heir to the throne is a individual of contradictions. He items himself as a young, progressive leader, a supporter of girls within the administrative center and, famously, slow the wheel. Nonetheless he’s also conducting a bloody battle in Yemen, stands accused of focused on civilians and young folk and the usage of famine as a weapon. He’s rounded up political dissidents and the CIA believes he’s slow the brutal homicide of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent critic of the crown prince.
Earlier this month, after an Iranian missile and drone attack on Saudi oil products and companies, the US dedicated further American troops to befriend protect the Saudis. It become close to midnight time by the time we spoke with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman on Tuesday, at the royal court docket in Jeddah. There become plenty to place a demand to. Our first demand become regarding the death, a 12 months ago, of Jamal Khashoggi, one thing the crown prince has never discussed in a television interview.
Norah O’Donnell: Did you negate the homicide of Jamal Khashoggi?
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): Completely no longer. This become a heinous crime. Nonetheless I purchase plump accountability as a frontrunner in Saudi Arabia, especially since it become dedicated by people working for the Saudi authorities.
Norah O’Donnell: What does that mean that you purchase accountability?
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): When against the law is dedicated in opposition to a Saudi citizen by officials, working for the Saudi authorities, as a frontrunner I can purchase accountability. This become a mistake. And I can purchase all actions to steer clear of this type of component sooner or later.
On October 2, 2018, Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and never left. Turkish investigators divulge a Saudi hit crew become awaiting him. They file he become killed nearly without delay and that his physique become dismembered. To on this sever-off date his remains possess no longer been chanced on. Saudi public prosecutors possess charged 11 men, including the deputy intelligence chief Predominant Total Ahmed Asiri. Saud al-Qahtani, once the prince’s extremely efficient upright-hand man, has been implicated however no longer formally charged.
Norah O’Donnell: The world wants the approach to this demand. How did you no longer know about this operation?
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): Some mediate that I might possibly possibly also fair still know what three million folk working for the Saudi authorities enact day-to-day? It be very unlikely that the three million would ship their day-to-day reviews to the leader or the 2d highest individual within the Saudi authorities.
Norah O’Donnell: Two of your closest advisors who are accused of orchestrating this space were fired by the king, eliminated from your interior circle. The demand is, how might possibly possibly you no longer know if this become performed by folk which might possibly possibly be shut to you?
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): Nowadays the investigations are being performed. And once charges are confirmed in opposition to anyone, with out reference to their sinister, this might possibly increasingly be taken to court docket, no exception made.
Norah O’Donnell: I’ve read what the Saudi prosecutor has mentioned about these which might possibly possibly be charged on this homicide. And it be gruesome, the major points. Whereas you heard that folk shut to you and for your authorities performed this type of frightful homicide, and that the American authorities thinks that you ordered it, what did you think?
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): I contain what you mentioned is never any longer perfect. There might possibly be not for all time an genuine speak announced by the American authorities on this regard. There might possibly be not for all time clear recordsdata or proof that anyone shut to me did one thing to that raise out. There are charges they most incessantly’re being investigated. Nonetheless all but again you cannot think regarding the concern that we suffered, especially as the Saudi authorities, from against the law equivalent to this one.
Norah O’Donnell: The CIA has concluded with medium to excessive self perception that you personally centered Khashoggi and you potentially ordered his death.
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): I am hoping this recordsdata to be introduced forward. If there might possibly be any such recordsdata that charges me, I am hoping it’s introduced forward publicly.
Norah O’Donnell: What set of likelihood is a newspaper columnist to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that he would want to be brutally murdered?
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): There might possibly be never any such thing as a likelihood from any journalist. The likelihood to Saudi Arabia is from such actions in opposition to a Saudi journalist. This heinous crime, that took space in a Saudi consulate.
Norah O’Donnell: I spoke with a prominent U.S. senator sooner than I came here. And he mentioned attributable to what happened with Jamal Khashoggi and what’s happened in Yemen that in his words there might possibly be not for all time plenty of beautiful will spherical here in Congress for Saudi Arabia. How famous has it harm the relationship?
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): The connection is famous bigger than that and that’s a heinous incident and painful to all of us. Our role is to work day and night time to conquer this and to be clear our future is significantly better than one thing that happened within the previous.
On Saturday, September 14, upright sooner than 4 a.m., an onslaught of extra than two dozen Iranian-made drones and low flying cruise missiles crippled the kingdom’s oil production. These pictures, never sooner than launched, are from the Saudi say oil company, most incessantly called Aramco.
Norah O’Donnell: This attack hit the coronary heart of Saudi Arabia’s oil substitute. Were you blindsided?
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): I might possibly possibly also disagree with you. This attack did not hit the coronary heart of the Saudi vitality substitute, however somewhat the coronary heart of the world vitality substitute. It disrupted 5.5% of the world’s vitality wants, the wants of the U.S. and China and the total world.
Norah O’Donnell: The dominion is the world’s number one importer of fingers, of armed forces gear; billions of bucks spent on gear. How might possibly possibly it no longer prevent an attack cherish this?
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): Saudi Arabia is nearly the size of a continent, it’s bigger than all of Western Europe. We possess 360 degrees of threats. It be no longer easy to quilt all of this completely.
Saudia Arabia’s air defenses encompass U.S. Patriot and Hawk missile programs which had been no longer designed to shoot down drones.
Norah O’Donnell: What enact you think become the strategic diagram that Iran struck Aramco?
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): I contain it be stupidity. There might possibly be never any such thing as a strategic purpose. Most provocative a fool would attack 5% of world affords. The sole strategic purpose is to existing that they’re dreary and that’s what they did.
Norah O’Donnell: Secretary Mike Pompeo has called what Iran did in his words, “an act of battle.” Was it an act of battle?
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): Of course. Yes.
Norah O’Donnell: What set of raise out would a battle between Saudi Arabia and Iran possess on the space?
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): The distance represents about 30% of the world’s vitality affords, about 20% of world substitute passages, about 4% of the world GDP. Imagine all of these three things end. This means a total fall down of the world economic system, and no longer upright Saudi Arabia or the Heart East international locations.
Iran looks willing to likelihood battle to give a boost to its space. After the Trump administration pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal, the U.S. imposed complex economic sanctions. Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, is never any longer going to barter until the sanctions are lifted. It is a standoff. The crown prince knowledgeable us all choices might possibly possibly also fair still stay on the desk.
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): If the world does no longer purchase a solid and firm action to discourage Iran, we can think further escalations that might possibly threaten world interests. Oil affords will be disrupted and oil costs will jump to unimaginably excessive numbers that we have no longer considered in our lifetimes.
Norah O’Donnell: Does it need to be a armed forces response?
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): I am hoping no longer.
Norah O’Donnell: Why no longer?
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): For the reason that political and peaceable resolution is significantly better than the armed forces one.
Norah O’Donnell: Construct you’re thinking that President Trump might possibly possibly also fair still sit down with President Rouhani and craft a brand fresh deal?
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): Completely. Here is what President Trump is soliciting for, that is what all of us put a demand to for. On the opposite hand, it’s some distance the Iranians who don’t need to sit at the desk.
Since 2015, the US has supplied restricted enhance to Saudi Arabia in their battle in opposition to an Iranian-backed militia, to their south, in Yemen. The United Countries estimates that the battle has left extra than 19,000 civilians unnecessary or injured. 10 million folk are ravenous.
Norah O’Donnell: It is called the worst humanitarian disaster on this planet. What’s the resolution?
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): First, if Iran stops its enhance of the Houthi militia, the political resolution will be famous simpler. Nowadays we start all initiatives for a political resolution in Yemen. We hope this happens at present rather than day after at present.
Norah O’Donnell: You are asserting tonight that you decide to need to negotiate an discontinuance to the battle in Yemen?
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): We’re doing this each day. Nonetheless we strive to turn this dialogue into an precise implementation on the ground, and the Houthis about a days ago announced a ceasefire, from their facet, we support in thoughts it a clear step to push for extra serious and filled with life political dialogue.
Norah O’Donnell: Why, after five years, are you optimistic tonight that a ceasefire might possibly possibly withhold, that might possibly lead to an discontinuance to the battle in Yemen?
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): As a frontrunner, I need to continuously be optimistic each day. If I am a pessimist, I might possibly possibly also fair still leave my put up and work in different locations.
In Saudi Arabia, social substitute is going down slowly. Bigger than two years after the crown prince came to energy, most girls still quilt their faces. And we struggled to search out any who would inform with us on camera.
Girls folk no longer too prolonged ago received the upright to pressure by royal decree. Guardianship laws that prevent girls from travelling with out a individual’s permission possess also been relaxed.
Nonetheless about a of the girls who fought for these rights possess lost their very possess freedom within the future of.
Norah O’Donnell: There are about a dozen female activists which had been detained for extra than a 12 months. Why were they put in jail?
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): Saudi Arabia is a country governed by laws. A couple of of these laws I might possibly possibly also disagree with personally, however as prolonged as they for the time being are current laws, they wants to be respected, until they’re reformed.
Belief to be one of basically the most prominent female activists who fought for the upright to pressure is Loujain al-Hathloul. She has been held in a Saudi penal advanced for over a 12 months.
Norah O’Donnell: Is it time to let her scoot?
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): This decision is never any longer as much as me. It be as much as the final public prosecutor, and it be an honest public prosecutor.
Norah O’Donnell: Her family says that she has been tortured in penal advanced. Is that upright?
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): If that is good, it’s some distance terribly heinous. Islam forbids torture. The Saudi laws forbid torture. Human judgment of right and unsuitable forbids torture. And I might personally follow up on this topic.
Norah O’Donnell: You might perhaps personally follow up on it?
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): If truth be told.
Norah O’Donnell: Publicly you might possibly possibly also fair possess pledged to substitute Saudi Arabia, to transform the economic system, to inform about a practical Islam, to permit girls to possess extra rights. Yet there might possibly be a crackdown and a jailing of girls who elevate factors about things that need to substitute in Saudi Arabia. That is the perception, that you enact no longer enhance girls’s rights and human rights and that these are concrete examples of girls who had been jailed.
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): This perception danger me. It danger me when some folk take a look at the image from a in point of fact slim angle. I am hoping that all people involves the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and sees the truth, and meets girls and Saudi residents, and judges for themselves.
Norah O’Donnell: What lessons possess you learned? And possess you made mistakes?
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Translation): Even prophets made mistakes. So how reach we, as people, demand no longer to set mistakes? The crucial component is that we learn from these mistakes and no longer repeat them.
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