MBS DODGES question on wealth fund’s $2B injection into Jared Kushner’s private equity – as he admits ‘mistakes’ in killing of Jamal Khashoggi that CIA says he ‘approved’ and warns Saudi Arabia will get NUKES if Iran does

Mohammed bin Salman said he saw no problem with a Saudi Arabia A wealth fund pumping $2 billion into Jared Kushner’s private equity business — despite his family ties to former President Donald Trump.

In a wide range interview Speaking to Fox News, the controversial 38-year-old crown prince admitted “mistakes” regarding the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and warned that his country would acquire nuclear weapons if Iran did so.

Six months after Trump left the White House in 2020, his son-in-law and former senior advisor Jared Kushner secured a $2 billion investment from the MbS-led Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF).

Asked by Fox anchor Bret Baier whether this created a conflict of interest – and whether the royal family would withdraw the money if Donald Trump was re-elected – MbS replied “if it’s legal, what’s the problem ?”

“We are looking for investment opportunities,” he said. “We have a lot of investment in the world and a lot of people have economic opportunities.”

As for whether the $2 billion would stay with Kushner even if Trump became president again, MbS answered in the affirmative.

“It is a commitment of the PIF and when the PIF has a commitment with an investor around the world, we keep it,” he said.

Asked if he recognized that this could create a conflict of interest, he said: “Saudi Arabia is so big, so I’m sure almost every person in the world, directly or indirectly, has something to do with Saudi Arabia.

“So if it can affect President Trump’s decision if he becomes president, that means it can affect every president in the world and every person in the world’s decision.”

“Because, directly and indirectly, they have some interest in something that relates to Saudi Arabia.”

Kushner won the PIF’s massive nod despite his firm being flagged for “inexperience” and “public relations risks” by a panel of economic experts reviewing the heritage fund’s investments.

During his tenure in the White House, Kushner was known for his close personal relationship with Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, and for helping him secure a $110 billion arms deal.

He was one of the Saudi royal family’s staunchest defenders within the administration, amid international outrage over the killing of US-based journalist and MbS critic Jamal Khashoggi.

Asked about Khashoggi’s killing, MbS said he was reforming the kingdom’s security system to ensure this kind of “mistake” doesn’t happen again.

“We are taking all the legal measures that any country has taken… We did it in Saudi Arabia and the case is being closed,” MbS said.

“We are also trying to reform the security system to make sure that these kinds of mistakes don’t happen again, and we can see that in the last five years, none of this has happened. This is not part of what Saudi Arabia does.

The Biden administration released a declassified US intelligence report concluding that MbS “approved” the operation that killed Khashoggi – but took no action against the crown prince himself.

MbS was also asked about the possibility that Iran would eventually create a nuclear weapon, and he confirmed that if Iran began building an arsenal, Saudi Arabia would seek to do the same.

“We are worried if a country acquires nuclear weapons: it is a bad decision,” he said. “They don’t need to acquire nuclear weapons because you can’t use them.”

When asked what his reaction would be if Iran obtained a nuclear weapon, he replied: “If they get one, we have to get one.”

MbS also spoke about relations with Israel, saying his country was gradually moving closer to normalizing its relations with the country.

“Every day we get closer,” he said, referring to Israel – a hot topic in Washington as the Biden administration continues its efforts to build historic ties between the two regional powers.

The normalization talks are the centerpiece of complex negotiations that also include discussions on U.S. security guarantees and civilian nuclear aid sought by Riyadh, as well as possible Israeli concessions to the Palestinians.

“For us, the Palestinian question is very important. We have to resolve this part,” MbS, Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, said when asked what it would take to reach a normalization deal. “And we have a good negotiation strategy so far.”

“We have to see where we are going. We hope this will make life easier for the Palestinians and make Israel a player in the Middle East,” he said.

Baier also questioned MbS about Saudi Arabia’s ties to 9/11, given that 15 of the 19 hijackers behind the plan were Saudi citizens.

MbS defended his government against accusations that it facilitated or supported the attacks, saying Osama bin Laden also carried out attacks on Saudi Arabia in the 1990s, describing him as a common enemy.

“It’s our enemy and it’s the American enemy,” MbS stressed.