‘Jihad and martyrdom’ if Saudi Arabia threatened

Prince Saud's viral video of threat comes amid escalating tensions over oil output cut

A video of a Saudi Arabia's prince went viral on social media platform, depicting the royal threatening the West with “Jihad and martyrdom” in case of any punitive action against the kingdom in the wake of ongoing tussles over the world oil prices.

In the video, according to a BBC report, Prince Saud al-Sha’lan, who is stated to be a nephew of King Salman bin Abdul Aziz, says in English and French that the Saudis were ready for jihad and martyrdom if their country was threatened by the West.

The video statement comes as the Saudi-led OPEC+ cartel – which includes Russia – has angered Washington by deciding to cut production by two million barrels per day from November, adding further pressure on soaring crude prices.

In response to the US reaction to OPEC+ decision, Prince Saud had threatened the West. “If anyone challenges the existence of this country (Saudi kingdom), we are all ready for martyrdom and jihad,” the prince can be heard as saying in the video.

Washington has vowed to re-evaluate its ties with Riyadh since the cut, which was seen as a diplomatic slap in the face for President Joe Biden by hiking prices on US consumers weeks before congressional elections.

Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, has rejected the US accusations that the kingdom had been aligning itself with Russia amid the Ukraine war by making oil production cuts to drive up crude prices, insisting that it was purely a business decision.

In an address to the Shura Council on Sunday, Saudi King Salman said that the kingdom was working hard to support stability and balance in oil markets, including by establishing and maintaining the agreement of the OPEC+ alliance.

Also read: Biden vows consequences for Saudi Arabia after OPEC+ decision

Later on Sunday, Saudi defence minister, Prince Khaled bin Salman said in a tweet that the OPEC+ decision was taken unanimously, due purely to economic reasons. However, he added that some countries accused the kingdom of standing with Russia.

"We are astonished by the accusations that the kingdom is standing with Russia in its war with Ukraine,” Prince Khaled tweeted. “It is telling that these false accusations did not come from the Ukrainian government," he added.

"Iran is also a member of OPEC, does this mean that the kingdom is standing with Iran as well?" he asked. Appearing on CNN on Monday, Fahad Nazer, spokesman for the Saudi embassy in Washington, similarly stressed that the OPEC+ move was "determined strictly by market fundamentals".

But with relations now strained, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that Biden had "no plans" to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, at an upcoming G20 summit in Indonesia. On the other hand, US officials have not been invited to a Saudi investment meet later this month.

The three-day ‘Future Investment Initiative (FII)’ – often dubbed ‘Davos in the Desert’ – is set to begin on October 25 in Riyadh. The conference typically draws Wall Street titans and high-ranking officials from around the world, and up to 400 American CEOs.

(WITH INPUT FROM AGENCIES)