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Saudi Arabia Rewrites Succession as King Replaces Heir With Son, 31 Saudi Arabia Rewrites Succession as King Replaces Heir With Son, 31
(about 1 hour later)
BEIRUT, Lebanon — King Salman of Saudi Arabia has removed the kingdom’s crown prince and named his 31-year-old son, Mohammed bin Salman, next in line to the Saudi throne. BEIRUT, Lebanon — King Salman of Saudi Arabia promoted his 31-year-old son, Mohammed bin Salman, to be next in line to the throne on Wednesday, further empowering a young, activist leader at a time when the kingdom is struggling with low oil prices, a rivalry with Iran and conflicts across the Middle East.
The move, announced early Wednesday, is a stark upheaval in the leadership of the wealthy kingdom, a key ally of the United States and the Arab world’s largest economy. The decision to remove the previous crown prince, Mohammed bin Nayef, 57, comes as some members of the royal family have chafed at the rise of the younger prince, who emerged from relative obscurity when his father, 81, ascended the throne in January 2015.
Prince Mohammed emerged from relative obscurity when his father, now 81, ascended the throne in 2015, and he has since accumulated vast powers, serving as defense minister, overseeing the state oil company and undertaking a vast effort to overhaul the Saudi economy. Prince Mohammed bin Salman has since accumulated vast powers in the wealthy kingdom, a crucial ally of the United States, serving as defense minister, overseeing the state oil company and working to overhaul the Saudi economy.
His supporters praise him as hard-working and say he offers a hopeful vision for the kingdom’s future, especially for its large youth population. His critics have called him rash, inexperienced and power-hungry. His supporters have praised him as hard-working and as offering a hopeful vision for the kingdom’s future, especially for its large youth population. His critics have called him inexperienced and power hungry.
The royal reordering also brought to an end the career of the previous crown prince, Mohammed bin Nayef, 57, a nephew of the king who was widely respected by Saudis and their foreign allies for dismantling Al Qaeda’s networks inside the kingdom. Wednesday’s decrees removed him both from his place as next in line to the throne and from his post as interior minister. The royal reordering brings to an end the career of Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who served as interior minister and was widely respected by Saudis and their foreign allies for dismantling Al Qaeda’s networks inside the kingdom.
King Salman’s decrees on Wednesday removed Prince Mohammed both from his place in the line of succession and from his post as interior minister.
Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s few remaining absolute monarchies, where all major decisions rest with the king, a capacity that King Salman has used to empower his offspring.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s swift rise had led many Saudi watchers to suspect that his father wanted to make him the next king, and the young prince quickly assumed prominent roles handling some of the kingdom’s most important files.
As deputy crown prince, he spearheaded the development of a wide-ranging plan for the country’s future, called Saudi Vision 2030, which seeks to decrease the country’s dependence on oil, diversify its economy and loosen some social restrictions inside the conservative, Islamic kingdom.
As defense minister, he was also primarily responsible for the kingdom’s military intervention in Yemen, where it is leading a coalition of Arab allies in a bombing campaign aimed at pushing the Houthi rebels from the capital and restoring the government.
That campaign has made limited progress in more than two years, and human rights groups have accused the kingdom of bombing civilians, targeting Yemen’s economy and exacerbating a humanitarian crisis by imposing and air and sea blockade on the Arab world’s poorest country.
Prince Mohammed has taken a hard line on Iran, saying in a television interview last month that dialogue with the Shiite power was impossible because it sought to take control of the Islamic world.
“We are a primary target for the Iranian regime,” he said, accusing Iran of seeking to take over Islamic holy sites in Saudi Arabia, which is home to Mecca and Medina. “We won’t wait for the battle to be in Saudi Arabia. Instead, we’ll work so that the battle is for them in Iran.”
Saudi Arabia and Iran stand on opposite sides of conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Bahrain while seeking to combat each other’s influence across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
During his rise, Prince Mohammed has looked for mentorship to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The two men have recently worked in tandem to isolate Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism, an accusation their small Gulf neighbor denies.
Prince Mohammed has pursued a uniquely public profile for the traditionally private kingdom, giving interviews to Western news outlets and taking high-profile trips to Russia, China and to Washington, where he met President Donald Trump in March.
Saudis who work with him praise him as detail-oriented and unafraid to take risks and break conventions, a rare trait in the historically cautious kingdom.
But his father’s moves to empower him rankled other branches of their family that found themselves sidelined at the expense of a young prince who had no significant military or business experience before 2015.
Others have criticized his plan to sell shares of the state oil giant, Saudi Aramco, a highly secretive company that has underpinned the kingdom’s economy and generated tremendous wealth for decades.
Another of the king’s sons, Prince Khalid bin Salman, was recently named ambassador to the United States.
Saudi state news media portrayed the move as an orderly reshuffle, saying that 31 out of 34 members of a council of senior princes approved the new appointment and broadcasting footage of outgoing the outgoing Prince bin Nayef pledging allegiance to his successor.
The profile of Prince bin Nayef, had waned as that of his younger cousin grew. As head of the powerful interior ministry, which is charged with domestic security, he led a campaign against Al Qaeda in the kingdom a decade ago and had close ties to American and other Western officials.
In 2009, he was wounded when a militant who came to his palace saying he wanted to reform detonated bomb hidden in his rectum. People who have met with him recently said the injury’s effects have lingered, although it was unclear whether they played a role in the king’s decision to replace him.
King Salman named a young and relatively unknown prince, Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif, as interior minister.