Saudi King Salman made on Wednesday his favorite son and Deputy Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince, empowering the 31-year-old reformist as next in line to the throne in a move suggesting more hawkish Saudi foreign policy in regional conflicts, but not a rush into altering the Kingdom's current oil policies and strategies.
He was propelled into the domestic and worldwide limelight when his father Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud became Saudi Arabia's seventh king in 2015 and he was named deputy crown prince - behind his cousin whom he has now replaced - and defence minister. Under the headline "A soft coup in Saudi Arabia; bin Salman's dream fulfilled", the conservative Mehr News Agency wrote June 21: "Whispers of a power struggle in the House of Saud have always been heard, a struggle ongoing between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and Mohammed bin Salman".
Unlike Mohammed bin Nayef, who was famous and well-admired in Washington for leading the kingdom's operations against al-Qaida, Saudis barely knew Mohammed bin Salman before his father became monarch in January 2015.
Sheikh Mohammad Abdulkarim Al-Issa, secretary-general of the Makkah-based Muslim World League, described the appointment of the new crown prince as successful and promising given the national and worldwide prestige Mohammed bin Salman enjoys.
A royal order said his appointment was endorsed by 31 of 34 members on the Council of Allegiance, which decides on succession issues.
Saudi king replaces first in line to the throne with his son, Mohammed bin Salman, the defence chief, state media says.
Mohammed chairs the Council of Economic and Development Affairs which coordinates economic policy and oversees state oil giant Saudi Aramco. Relations reached a low ebb then as Washington pursued diplomacy with Iran and seemed to cool on the long-standing Saudi alliance. He also had been Saudi Arabia's interior minister - another job that will now be filled by Mohammed bin Salman. In 2009, he survived an assassination attempt when a man who'd completed the program approached the prince and blew himself up.
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The issue is a sticking point between Washington and Beijing that experts say needs to be the focus of frank discussion. In a statement the company said, "The assessment of risk for Americans visiting North Korea has become too high".
Yemen represents a proxy war between the two regional powerhouses, with Riyadh supporting the ousted government against Iranian-backed Houthi forces.
Bin Nayef had previously served as interior minister. While the president pledged not to "lecture" other countries during a trip to the Gulf kingdom last month, some members of his foreign policy team have been more willing to criticize the Saudi regime.
Though his image remained on billboards and atop buildings throughout Saudi Arabia, the 58-year-old prince appeared to be slipping in profile. He has been recognized in recent years for his cooperation with the US on counterterrorist efforts.
The newly minted crown prince built his reputation as a bold reformer. Mohammed bin Salman has been described as particularly "reckless" in the past, both in economic and military policy. Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell and Fay Abuelgasim in Dubai contributed to this report.
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