King Salman of Saudi Arabia has ousted his nephew as crown prince and replaced him with his son, Mohammed bin Salman, confirming the 31-year-old as heir and consolidating the kingdom’s move to reassert its influence as a regional power.

The move was announced by royal decree just after midnight, stunning the Saudi establishment, which has seen Bin Salman’s profile soar over the past three years but regarded the role of the former crown prince, Mohammed bin Nayef, a veteran security tsar, as secure.

US rebukes Saudi Arabia over Qatar embargo in reversal after Trump comments Read more

President Trump called Bin Salman on Wednesday to congratulate him on his “recent elevation”.

“The president and the crown prince committed to close cooperation to advance our shared goals of security, stability, and prosperity across the Middle East and beyond,” a White House statement said, adding that the two leaders talked about cutting off support for terrorists, resolving Saudi Arabia’s dispute with Qatar, economic cooperation and “a lasting peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians.”

A source familiar with Trump foreign policy and national security said that Bin Salman was seen by the White House as a key ally.

“The circles who have worked on the bridge between this administration and the Arab coalition, they know each other and they know Prince Mohammed is a solid ally,” the source said. “The consolidation of Prince Mohammed’s influence within the government of Saudi Arabia is going to be seen as a positive development for the administration ... and now there are less risks that there will be opposition to him in the near future.”

The upheaval follows a dizzying series of moves from the usually cautious kingdom, which in recent weeks has seen it recalibrate relations with Washington and open a diplomatic offensive against Qatar, led by Bin Salman’s office, while pressing ahead with a war in Yemen and an ambitious economic and cultural overhaul at home.

Bin Salman has been central to the changes, which have helped his profile and powers grow rapidly under the tutelage of an 81-year-old monarch who has given him an almost free hand across most aspects of society.

By contrast, Bin Nayef, a former interior minister and intelligence chief, and more traditional US ally, had been increasingly marginalised and the decree removed him from all his positions. He had played little role in the reform programme and was given little face time with Donald Trump during the US president’s visit to Riyadh in May, which is widely seen to have precipitated the change in succession.

Iran’s state television, which reflects the views of Tehran’s leaders, called the Saudi appointment “a soft coup”. The two countries are involved in proxy conflicts across the Middle East and the Saudi-led blockade of Qatar came in part over its conciliatory relationship with Iran.

Bin Salman retains his role as defence minister and adds the position of deputy prime minister to his portfolio. He also chairs a weekly cabinet meeting that focuses on all aspects of Saudi society. The country’s allegiance council approved the changes by 31 out of 34 votes.

The new role formalises powers that Bin Salman had assumed with astonishing speed since his father ascended to the throne in January 2015. Since then, he has consolidated more influence than anyone else in the kingdom, spearheading plans for a privatisation of the state oil company, Aramco, while taking charge of the war in Yemen and one of the world’s largest arms budgets.

The decision to blockade and isolate Qatar, nominally a Saudi ally, was also led by Bin Salman’s office. The move, which continues to reverberate around the regional Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), was sparked by the Trump visit that publicly reprioritised Riyadh as a regional ally and wound back the Obama administration’s warming relations with Iran.

US rebukes Saudi Arabia over Qatar embargo in reversal after Trump comments Read more

However, the Qatar blockade has split the Trump administration. While Trump forged a bond with Bin Salman, the sudden aggressive move against Doha alarmed the Pentagon and the State Department, which on Wednesday put out a stern statement rebuking Riyadh and its allies for failing to come up with a formal justification for the embargo.

On Wednesday, the secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, said that justification appeared to be in the pipeline.

“In regards to the continuing dispute within the GCC, we understand a list of demands has been prepared and coordinated by the Saudis, Emiratis, Egyptians, and Bahrainis,” Tillerson said in a written statement. “We hope the list of demands will soon be presented to Qatar and will be reasonable and actionable.”

Riyadh has sought to consolidate what it sees as its renewed prestige, and impose its presence in the region. Qatar had been viewed as an outlier because of its connections to Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood, both of which Bin Salman had seen as threats in Riyadh and elsewhere in the Gulf. In interviews, he has regularly ruled out dialogue with Iran, accusing it of “trying to control the Islamic world”.

Tensions have been simmering between Tehran and Riyadh recently, with Iranian authorities confirming on Tuesday the arrests of three Iranian nationals by Saudi coast guards last week. Both sides provided clashing versions - Tehran said they were fishermen sailing on fishing boats while Riyadh claimed they were members of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards.

Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency, affiliated to the Revolutionary Guards, called the appointment “a political earthquake.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Mohammed bin Salman with Donald Trump in the Oval Office in March. Photograph: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

A senior Iranian MP, Seyedhossein Naghavi-Hosseini, who is the speaker of the parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy, urged restraint from the Saudis.

“After the appointment of Bin Salman as the crown prince, we urge Saudi officials to act with prudence and according to international norms and they should know their limits,” he said, according to the semi-official Isna news agency.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran does not want war with any country and we believe we can resolve differences with dialogue. There is no need for foreign interference ... but Trump visited Saudi Arabia to do warmongering,”



The rapid rise of the prince has not been without criticism in Riyadh. “Lots of people don’t like him here,” said a western diplomat in the Saudi capital last month. “He is seen as precocious and beyond criticism. There is a view among parts of the establishment that he is not worthy of the powers that he has been given.”

Younger Saudis, however, are thought to be broadly behind an empowered prince who has regularly pledged to cater for their needs – by sharply increasing entertainment options across the conservative kingdom, while emphasising other touchstone issues such as education and more access to skilled jobs.

The Saudi stock market closed up over 5.5% following the news of Bin Salman’s appointment.

Another young prince also ascended to power on Wednesday. Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud, 33, was named the new interior minister tasked with counterterrorism efforts and domestic security. His father is the governor of Saudi Arabia’s vast Eastern Province, home to much of the country’s oil wealth and most of its minority Shiites. He previously served as an adviser to the interior and defense ministries.

The new interior minister is Mohammed bin Nayef’s nephew, while Mohammed bin Salman is the former crown prince’s cousin. All hail from the powerful Sudairi branch of the royal family.



Additional reporting by Saeed Kamali Dehghan



</s>Saudi Arabia has relieved Muhammad bin Nayef as crown prince, replacing him with Mohammed bin Salman, a royal decree published by state news agency SPA reported.

Bin Salman, 31, has been his country's defense minister and deputy crown prince, and was credited with a "huge success" for President Donald Trump's recent decision to stop in Saudi Arabia.

The young prince has taken a central role in Saudi Arabia's efforts to build its economy beyond the oil industry. He holds primary responsibility for the kingdom's military and energy sector.

In March, Bin Salman met Trump in the White House, and agreed that Iran represents a regional security threat.

Here's CNBC's look at Bin Salman's economic vision for his country.

Experts have said that Bin Salman is different than other Saudi leaders in that he had been educated in the kingdom — he wears traditional dress and is popular with young Saudis.

"They see in Mohammad bin Salman someone of their own generation moving up the ladder very quickly. He has a certain degree of popularity. He's also grated a lot of people in the family who see him as abrasive, inexperienced, undisciplined, impulsive," Bruce Riedel, director of the intelligence project at Brookings and former CIA national intelligence officer for the Middle East, told CNBC in 2016.

This is breaking news. Please check back for update.

—Wires and CNBC's Patti Domm and Berkeley Lovelace Jr. contributed to this report.</s>The King of Saudi Arabia has appointed his son Mohammed bin Salman as Crown Prince and deputy prime minister, replacing his nephew Mohammed bin Nayef as first in line to the throne.

The new appointment came as a series of decrees amended Article V of the Kingdom's statute of ruling. Salman's appointment was endorsed by 31 out of 34 members of the Allegiance Council, composed of senior members of the ruling Al Saud family.

The reshuffle on Wednesday (21 June) is seen by some as a significant move that can bring about economic changes in the Kingdom, which is highly dependant on oil revenues.

Although some had anticipated Salman's appointment as Crown Prince, the timing was surprising , given that Saudi Arabia is facing tensions with Iran - its rival in the region – and Qatar, and it is embroiled in the war in Yemen, Reuters reported.

"There had been speculation about the appointment for a long time but no concrete evidence it was going to happen. This was clearly negotiated in a very small circle," Steffen Hertog, associate professor at London School of Economics specialising in Gulf and Middle East politics, told IBTimes UK.

Born in Jeddah in 1985, Salman is the eldest son of King Salman and his third wife. The prince obtained a Bachelor's degree in Law and worked in the private sector until 2009, when he started working as a special consultant to his father who, at the time, was the governor of Riyadh Province.

Salman's rise to power began in 2013, when he was appointed as the head of the Crown Prince's Court. Two years later, at at the age of 30, he became the Kingdom's minister of defence after his father became the new king.

In his new role, Salman oversaw a Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen, where a civil war erupted in 2015. The conflict has pitted Iran-allied Houthi forces – who control the capital Sana'a and are allied with loyalists of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh – against forces allied to the government of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, based in Aden, supported by a coalition led by Saudi Arabia.

Following his father's ascension to the throne, Salman became known locally and internationally and started representing his father abroad, including a trip to the White House in March.

"He has a good relation with the White House," journalist and researcher Naseer Giyas told IBTimes UK. "He was the main event-organiser of [the] recent Arab Islamic American Summit."

According to some analysts, Prince Salman's appointment will speed up the country's attempt to reduce its dependence on oil.

Salman, who is the chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs - established by his father in 2015 - aims to partly privatise the state oil company, Saudi Aramco.

"He has been instrumental to bring economic reforms and trying hard to enhance the non-oil income resources of the Kingdom," Giyas said.

However, Hertog believes there will not be immediate economic changes. "Mohammed bin Salman was already in charge of economic policy, among many other portfolios. It is likely that in the short run austerity policies will be relaxed a bit," he said.

"In the medium term, Mohammed bin Salman's more consolidated position could allow him to take harsher adjustment measures, which are likely to become necessary given the protracted low oil prices and high fiscal deficits."

Giyas believes Mohammed Bin Salman's appointment could "disturb the balance of the power".

"The current monarch [is] trying to pacify the possible political backlash by appointing another eight young princes on key posts," he said. "[The King] appointed Prince Abdul Aziz bin Saud bin Nayef as interior minister. Abdul Aziz is a nephew of ousted Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef."

However, others believe Salman's appointment could avoid a possible power struggle within the royal family.

"It's clearly a transition that has happened smoothly and bloodlessly. Now it's clear, it's straightforward. That kind of clarity lowers the risk. There's no question as to who's going to be in charge," Bernard Haykel, professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton, told Reuters.

After being deposed, Mohammed bin Nayef pledged allegiance to Salman and said "I am content." In response, Salman said: "We will not give up taking your guidance and advice."

"There will not be a power struggle; Mohammed bin Nayef has pledged [loyalty] to MBS in public and has lost his position as Minister of Interior, his main basis of power," Hertog said. "The power structure in KSA [ Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ] is more centralized now than it has ever been since the times of founder King Abdulaziz in the 1950s."</s>Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has appointed his son, Mohammed bin Salman, as heir, in a major reshuffle announced early on Wednesday.

A royal decree removed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, a 57-year-old nephew of the king, as next-in-line to the throne and replaced him with Mohammed bin Salman, 31, who was previously the deputy crown prince.

According to the official Saudi Press Agency, the newly announced crown prince was also named deputy prime minister and maintained his post as defence minister.

The former crown prince was also fired from his post as interior minister, the decree said.

The series of decrees also amended Article V of the kingdom’s statute of ruling, stipulating that, from now on, only the sons and grandsons of the founding King Faisal Al Saud can be kings and crown princes.

The decision by King Salman to promote his son and consolidate his power was endorsed by 31 out of 34 members of the Allegiance Council, the decree said.

The council is made up of senior members of the ruling Al Saud family.

The Saudi king called for a public pledging of allegiance to the new crown prince early on Wednesday, the channel said.

Mohammed bin Nayef promptly vowed loyalty to his successor after the decree.

Some royal observers had long suspected Mohammed bin Salman’s rise to power under his father’s reign might also accelerate his ascension to the throne.

The young prince was little known to Saudis and outsiders before Salman became king in January 2015. He had previously been in charge of his father’s royal court when Salman was the crown prince.

Over the weekend, the king had issued a decree restructuring Saudi Arabia’s system for prosecutions that stripped Mohammed bin Nayef of long-standing powers overseeing criminal investigations.

Instead, King Salman ordered that a newly named Office of Public Prosecution and prosecutor report directly to the monarch.</s>Mohammed bin Salman is Saudi Arabia's new crown prince, announced the king. (AFP)</s>Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has appointed his son, Mohammed bin Salman, as heir, in a major reshuffle announced early on Wednesday.

A royal decree removed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, a 57-year-old nephew of the king, as next-in-line to the throne and replaced him with Mohammed bin Salman, 31, who was previously the deputy crown prince.

According to the official Saudi Press Agency, the newly-announced crown prince was also named deputy prime minister and maintained his post as defence minister.

The decree said the former crown prince was also fired from his post as interior minister.

It added that the decision by King Salman to promote his son and consolidate his power was endorsed by 31 out of 34 members of the Allegiance Council.

The council is made up of senior members of the ruling Al Saud family.

The Saudi king called for a public pledging of allegiance to the new crown prince early today.

Mohammed bin Nayef promptly vowed loyalty to his successor after the decree.</s>Saudi's King Salman named his son as the country's new crown prince

Saudi's King Salman named his son as the country's new crown prince

Arabia's on Wednesday named his 31-year-old son as crown prince, completing a gradual removal of powers from the previous Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who has been fired.

 

 According to a royal decree issued by the official Press Agency, Mohammed bin Salman, 31, was also named deputy prime minister, and maintains his post as minister of defence.</s>Saudi Arabia has removed Muhammad bin Nayef as the crown prince and replaced him with Mohammed bin Salman in a dramatic changeover in the ultra-conservative kingdom's royal family. Bin Salman was previously the country's defence minister and was deputy crown prince.

The stripped monarch, Bin Nayef, a familiar face in Washington, was overseeing Saudi Arabia's powerful interior ministry in charge of the security affairs of the kingdom.

According to a royal decree released on Wednesday, 21 June, from Riyadh and carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency, Bin Salman has also been appointed as the deputy prime minister and will retain his defence portfolio. Bin Salman's quick rise to become the first in line to the throne was suspected to be in the pipeline.

The surprise royal shake-up has come just as when the volatile region is undergoing a turbulent period after Saudi-led Arab nations launched a diplomatic campaign against Qatar.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated regularly as new information and developments become available.

IBTimes UK is a news organisation that keeps its global audience of 55 million monthly readers in the know with quality storytelling and analysis of global relevance. Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/IBTimesUK/) and follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/IBTimesUK) where we will keep you up to date with the latest news, pictures and video as it happens. We provide comprehensive coverage of domestic and foreign news, business, sport, entertainment, science and technology, aiming to keep our intellectually curious readers interested and engaged.</s>Dubai: Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Nayef has been relieved of his post and replaced by deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, a royal decree said on Wednesday, in a promotion for King Salman’s 31-year-old son that confirms him as next ruler of the kingdom.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman becomes deputy prime minister and retains his defence and other portfolios, the decree issued by the Saudi state news agency SPA said.

Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, for years the kingdom’s counter-terrorism chief who put down an al-Qaeda campaign of bombings in 2003-06, is relieved of all positions, it said.

Even as deputy crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman has been responsible for running Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen, dictating an energy policy with global implications and behind the plans for the kingdom to build a future after oil.

Al Arabiya television reported that the promotion of the prince was approved by the kingdom’s Allegiance Council, and that the king had called for a public pledging of loyalty to Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday evening in Mecca.

The surprise announcement follows two and a half years of already major changes in Saudi Arabia, which stunned allies in 2015 by launching a war in Yemen, cutting old energy subsidies and in 2016 proposing partly privatising state oil company Aramco. Reuters</s>Saudi Arabia named Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman, the king's son, as crown prince by royal decree on Wednesday, the official Saudi Press Agency announced.

Prince Mohammed, 31, replaces Muhammad bin Nayef as the heir-apparent to King Salman, 81, who assumed the throne in January 2015. Bin Nayef, a nephew of the king's, was also removed as deputy premier and interior minister. Prince Mohammed will remain defense minister, the press agency said.

No reason for the replacement was immediately announced, but Prince Mohammed, not Bin Nayef, was tapped to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in March, a meeting that was widely hailed as a success in Saudi Arabia.

Related: Dueling Princes: One Saudi Gets Lunch With Trump, His Rival Gets a Medal

The crown prince is often depicted as a reform-minded technocrat devoted to building the kingdom's economy beyond the oil industry.

And as defense minister, bin Salman has pursued a war in neighboring Yemen, leading forces from other Arab states to put down a rebellion by Iran-linked Houthi rebels. Rising civilian Yemeni casualties have garnered international condemnation of Saudi Arabia.

Last year, Prince Mohammed visited Silicon Valley to sell his vision of market-oriented reforms and a transformation of the kingdom's society.

"This guy is all about change,” Saudi analyst Ahmad Al-Ibrahim told NBC News in November as Prince Mohammed was promoting modernization of Saudi Arabia's economy as a way to modernize the desert kingdom's ultra-conservative social structure.

The prince has “huge ambitions and a Western mindset that he wants to apply to Saudi Arabia," Al-Ibrahim said at the time.
In a royal decree, King Salman of Saudi Arabia appoints his son Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud as Crown Prince, stripping his nephew Muhammad bin Nayef of the title.