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Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( Arabic: سلمان بن عبد العزیز آل سعود, romanized : Salmān bin ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Āl Su‘ūd; born 31 December 1935) is King of Saudi Arabia, reigning since 2015, and was also Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2022. The 25th son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia, he ...
- Mohammed bin Salman
- Al Saud
He is the seventh son of King Salman of Saudi Arabia and grandson of the nation's founder, King Abdulaziz. Mohammed was born as the first child of Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz and his third wife, Fahda bint Falah Al Hithlain .
- 21 June 2017 – present
- Salman of Saudi Arabia
- Overview
- Early life
- In charge of defense and economic policy
- Crown prince
Mohammed bin Salman (born August 31, 1985) is the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, known for his aggressive foreign policy, ambitious economic vision, and controversial social reforms. He formally serves as crown prince (2017– ) and prime minister (2022– ) and has previously served as minister of defense (2015–22). He is the son of Saudi King Salman...
From a young age Mohammed was interested in government, shadowing his father and remaining conscious about his image. Along the way he learned how to communicate with a wide variety of dignitaries and to avoid indiscretions. He attended King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in law in 2007. He afte...
In January 2015 Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah died and Salman became king. He immediately appointed Mohammed as his defense minister. In a matter of months Mohammed launched an aggressive military intervention in Yemen’s civil war. Known as Operation Decisive Storm, the campaign intended to give the government of Yemeni Pres. Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi a decisive advantage against the Shiʿi Houthi insurgency in the north of the country. It was thought that a Houthi victory might give Iran, Saudi Arabia’s main regional rival, a foothold along Saudi Arabia’s southern border. The campaign, however, failed to turn the tide in the war and led to little more than a prolonged stalemate and one of the worst humanitarian crises in modern history.
Mohammed was also placed in charge of the state oil company Aramco and the Council of Economic and Developmental Affairs, the country’s primary policy-making body for economic development. He sought to open up Aramco for an initial public offering (IPO) and set out on bold development initiatives, such as his Vision 2030 plan designed to attract foreign investment for industries outside its energy sector. Some of these policies proved too ambitious, however. Though he anticipated Aramco to launch the world’s largest IPO as early as 2017, the move was repeatedly delayed until the end of 2019.
Mohammed was appointed crown prince in June 2017 and wasted no time pursuing his audacious goals. Just days later he spearheaded a multicountry blockade against Qatar, not only for its friendly stance toward Iran but also for its support for rival non-state actors in the region, such as the Muslim Brotherhood. Though the three-year blockade led to a crisis for Qatar in the short-term, the country used its wealth to reorient its economy away from reliance on its fellow Gulf countries.
At times his assertiveness abroad backfired and led to international backlash. In November 2017 Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri resigned suddenly under suspicious circumstances while on a visit to Riyadh. Only after significant international pressure was Hariri allowed to return to Lebanon, where he immediately suspended his resignation. The circumstances behind the bizarre episode remained unspoken, but the world’s suspicions were reflected by Mohammed at an investment conference a year later when he cracked a joke about kidnapping Hariri.
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About the same time as Hariri’s peculiar resignation, dozens of Saudi princes, business leaders, and senior officials were arrested. The maneuver was billed as an anti-corruption sweep. But because the detained individuals were some of the wealthiest and most powerful figures in the country—including mega-billionaire Prince al-Waleed bin Talal—many observers suspected the true purpose of the sweep was to secure power in Mohammed’s hands. Many were released only after relinquishing partial control of their businesses to the state or paying billions of dollars. The Saudi government was believed to have collected more than $100 billion from the move.
Despite the apparent shakedown, Mohammed had initially been hailed abroad as a reformer at home. Often to the chagrin of conservative Saudis and the Wahhābī religious establishment, his policies began to relax many of the strict social restrictions for which Saudi Arabia was known. In line with his effort to boost tourism in the kingdom, a ban on cinemas was reversed, and women were allowed to attend sporting events. In 2018 he loosened the public dress code slightly by stating that women do not need to wear an ʿabāyah, a long black cloak, in public. Later that year women were allowed to obtain driver’s licenses, enabling women to go to work or school or perform errands without accompaniment. Still, these steps toward liberalization appeared motivated by economic gain and not by a desire for freedom. While women were offered new choices that would allow them to earn and spend money without requiring their male guardians to provide constant consent and transportation, the government also cracked down on women activists who continued to press for more freedoms.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
May 13, 2024 · king (2015-), Saudi Arabia. Notable Family Members: son Sultan ibn Salman Al Saud. son Mohammed bin Salman. Salman of Saudi Arabia (born December 31, 1935, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) is the king of Saudi Arabia (2015– ) and is expected to be the last of the sons of Abdulaziz ibn Saud, the founder of Saudi Arabia, to rule the country.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Jun 21, 2017 · RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi Arabia’s King Salman appointed his 31-year-old son Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince on Wednesday, placing him first-in-line to the throne and laying the groundwork for an entirely new generation of royals to take the reins.
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Jun 21, 2017 · Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Wednesday named his son Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince, completing a gradual removal of powers and shift in the line of succession from his cousin...
Jun 21, 2017 · Saudi Arabia's king has appointed his son Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince - replacing his nephew, Mohammed bin Nayef, as first in line to the throne.
