New heir to throne named

Saudi Arabia's King Salman yesterday named his powerful interior minister as heir in a generational shift that also saw one of his sons promoted to second in line to the throne.

A royal decree removed Crown Prince Moqren bin Abdul Aziz bin Saud, 69, as heir and replaced him with Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, 55, who led a crackdown on al-Qaeda in the oil-rich kingdom a decade ago.

Tap Here to Add The Daily Star As A Trusted Source

Riyadh also changed its foreign minister in the second major government shakeup since King Salman inherited power in January.
Accentuating the move to a more youthful leadership, Salman, 79, also promoted one of his sons, Mohammed bin Salman, to be deputy crown prince.

Mohammed bin Salman, in his early 30s, retains the position of defence minister, in which he has overseen more than a month of air strikes against Iran-backed rebels in neighbouring Yemen.

Saudi Arabia's envoy to the United States, Adel al-Jubeir, 53, was appointed foreign minister.

He replaces Prince Saud al-Faisal who was born in 1940 and "asked to be relieved from his duties due to his health condition," said a royal decree carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

The dismissal of Moqren removes one of the few remaining high-level officials from the era of King Abdullah, who died on January 23 and was replaced by Salman, 79.

Moqren would have been the last son of the kingdom's founder, Abdul Aziz bin Saud, to rule the country established in 1932.

It was the first time a crown prince was relieved of his duty in the kingdom's history. Moqren's removal leaves Mohammed bin Nayef as the first of the second generation, or grandsons of Abdul Aziz, in line to lead the conservative Islamic kingdom.

Mohammed bin Nayef's appointment further solidifies control of Salman's Sudayri branch of the royal family. Their influence had waned under Abdullah.

Under Salman, Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia has adopted a more assertive foreign policy, leading the coalition targeting Shia rebels in Yemen since late March.

The appointment of Jubeir, who came to attention answering reporters' questions in the United States in defence of his country's actions, as foreign minister is unusual as he is not a member of the ruling family.

Prince Saud had held the post since 1975, making him the world's longest-serving foreign minister.