Saudi Arabia supports a “fair” solution for the Palestinian cause, King Salman has told Donald Trump in a phone call, as the US President praised the kingdom for opening its airspace to Israel-UAE flights.
Skepticism of Saudi Arabia’s claims in the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi has flourished around the world, but the Kremlin took pains on Friday to assure the Saudis their credibility is undamaged in Moscow.
Reuters on Monday cited an assortment of sources from Saudi Arabia and other, unnamed “Arab countries” to paint a portrait of Saud al-Qahtani, a top aide to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (also known by his initials “MBS”) and a likely suspect in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
CNN on Monday reported it has obtained surveillance footage from Turkish officials that shows a Saudi operative walking around Istanbul wearing slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s clothes and a fake beard.
According to a Reuters report on Friday, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz is “asserting himself” to control the diplomatic fallout from the disappearance of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi, who vanished over two weeks ago after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain some paperwork.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday morning for urgent meetings with King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir to discuss the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi. Turkish officials said they expect Pompeo to visit Ankara next, bringing important information about the case from the Saudis.
Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz had phone conversations with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday night and U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday morning to discuss the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for unity among the Gulf states against the “common challenge” of Iran during his trip to Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
In the wake of a remarkable statement of support for Israel’s right to exist by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, reigning King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday reaffirmed “the Kingdom’s steadfast position toward the Palestinian issue and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.”
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz announced on Sunday that special units of anti-corruption prosecutors have been established to “protect the homeland and its resources, maintain public money and protect the integrity of the public employment.”
Saudi state news agency SPA reported that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson spoke on the phone Monday with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the leader behind Saudi Arabia’s wide-reaching and controversial corruption crackdown.
The government of Saudi Arabia has strenuously denied that King Salman bin Abdulaziz plans to abdicate and pass the throne along to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, but on Thursday, the UK Daily Mail quoted a source “close to the royal family” who insisted the king will vacate his throne next week.
Contrary to much speculation, Saudi officials stated on Sunday that King Salman bin Abdulaziz has no intention of abdicating to pass the throne along to his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
TEL AVIV — Prominent social media users in the Gulf have been posting extensively regarding developments in the Saudi royal family after the arrest of dozens of officials in the country, including 11 princes from the royal family, as part of an ongoing fight against corruption.
When Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef was abruptly swapped out for a younger model, rock-star Prince Mohammed bin Salman, there were rumors the transfer of power wasn’t as smooth as the Saudi government portrayed it. The government dismissed rumors that Nayef was placed under comfortable house arrest while Salman’s ascension was completed.
Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz made a surprise announcement on Wednesday morning that his son Mohammed bin Salman, 31, would become the new crown prince of the kingdom.
President Donald Trump broke the Internet once again during the inauguration of the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology Sunday in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.
Fitch Credit Ratings has declared that the profitable doubling of U.S. oil drilling over the last 9 months means the reemerging U.S. shale boom is a potent threat to Saudi Arabia — despite the Saudis declaring a price war in 2014.
“We confirm that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia stands with all its might behind the Islamic causes in general and we are fully ready for assistance and cooperation with your sisterly country as regards any effort or movement that serves Muslims’ issues,” Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud said from Malaysia on Monday.
The Sunni-Shia battle between Saudi Arabia and Iran continues as the Saudi Foreign Minister slams Iran for “destabilizing” the Middle East, even as advocacy groups called for the suspension of Saudi Arabia from the U.N. Human Rights Council over its military operation in Yemen.
The White House spent a good deal of President Obama’s first day in Saudi Arabia trying to spin away the unmistakable snub dealt by King Salman, who personally greeted the leaders of other Gulf nations at the airport but left Obama to be welcomed by the governor of Riyadh and the Saudi foreign minister.
President Obama and Defense Secretary Ashton Carter are due to visit Saudi Arabia next week, for talks about the Islamic State, Iran, and other threats to regional security.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz at the airport in Ankara on Monday, as the Saudi monarch is en route to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation meeting in Istanbul later this week.
TEL AVIV – Senior Egyptian officials met Sunday with high-level representatives of the Hamas terror group at the behest of Saudi Arabia, the Times of Israel reported. The meeting included the Deputy Political Bureau Chief of Hamas, Moussa Abu Marzouk, and Egyptian Intelligence Minister Khaled Fawzi.
