Saudi Arabia Will Retaliate ‘Stronger’ If President Trump Takes Action Over Journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s Disappearance

(Bloomberg) — Saudi Arabia will retaliate against any punitive measures with an even “stronger” response, the official news agency reported, in an apparent reaction to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to take action over the disappearance of a prominent government critic.

“The kingdom rejects any threats,” the Saudi Press Agency reported, citing an official it didn’t identify.

Saudi Arabian equities slumped as much as 7 percent Sunday on concern over possible U.S. measures.

In an excerpt from an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes,” Trump added pressure on the kingdom, vowing “severe punishment” should the kingdom’s leaders be linked to the disappearance of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

“The kingdom emphasizes that it will respond to any measure against it with an even stronger measure,” the official said, according to SPA. “The kingdom’s economy has an influential and vital role in the global economy, and that kingdom’s economy is only affected by the global economy.”