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| Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud | |
|---|---|
| Name | Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud |
| Native name | محمد بن سلمان آل سعود |
| Caption | Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman |
| Birth date | 31 August 1985 |
| Birth place | Riyadh |
| Nationality | Saudi Arabia |
| Other names | MBS |
| Occupation | Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Deputy Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Minister of Defense (Saudi Arabia) |
| Spouse | Princess Sara bint Mashour Al Saud |
Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud is the Crown Prince and de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, holding the offices of Deputy Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia and Minister of Defense (Saudi Arabia). He rose rapidly within the House of Saud to become heir apparent, launching a high-profile program of economic and social reforms while presiding over an assertive regional foreign policy and drawing international scrutiny for human rights concerns and high-profile controversies. Analysts compare his agenda and methods to transformative leaders in Middle East politics, and his tenure has reshaped relations with states including United States, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Israel, and Iran.
Mohammed bin Salman was born in Riyadh in 1985 into the Al Saud dynasty during the reign of King Fahd. He is a son of Salman of Saudi Arabia and attended local schools in Riyadh alongside members of the royal family, later studying law at King Saud University where he interacted with figures connected to Saudi Aramco and Ministry of Defense (Saudi Arabia). His early career included advisory roles in the Riyadh Governorate and service with the Saudi Arabian National Guard and provincial government offices linked to Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz and regional development bodies influenced by GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) policies.
Mohammed bin Salman’s ascent accelerated after his father became king in 2015, when he was appointed Minister of Defense (Saudi Arabia) and later promoted to Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia in 2017 following a royal succession that involved figures such as Mohammed bin Nayef and King Salman. His consolidation of authority included reshuffles involving the Saudi Royal Court, Public Investment Fund (Saudi Arabia), and security institutions like the General Intelligence Presidency. Domestic actions paralleled high-profile international engagements with leaders including Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, Emmanuel Macron, and Xi Jinping, and with multilateral forums such as the G20 and United Nations General Assembly.
Domestically, Mohammed bin Salman launched social liberalization measures affecting Women in Saudi Arabia, including easing of Female driving ban in Saudi Arabia restrictions and changes in Guardianship (law), while promoting cultural initiatives with institutions such as the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage and events featuring international partners like Live Nation and Warner Bros.. He has overseen anti-corruption campaigns that targeted members of the House of Saud, business elites from Saudi Aramco partnerships, and figures tied to conglomerates such as MBC Group and SABIC. These reforms intersected with security operations coordinated with agencies including the Ministry of Interior (Saudi Arabia) and Presidency of State Security.
Mohammed bin Salman is architect of Vision 2030 (Saudi Arabia), an economic blueprint emphasizing diversification away from oil revenue toward sectors involving Public Investment Fund (Saudi Arabia), Neom, Red Sea Project, Qiddiya, and partnerships with firms like SoftBank, BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, and McKinsey & Company. Key components included plans for partial listing of Saudi Aramco, regulatory reforms administered by institutions such as the Capital Market Authority (Saudi Arabia), and investment deals with sovereign funds like the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and Qatar Investment Authority. These initiatives aimed to reshape links with markets including New York Stock Exchange, London Stock Exchange, Shanghai Stock Exchange, and to attract tourism via cultural projects tied to the Diriyah Gate Development Authority.
His foreign policy is marked by assertive positions in the Yemen Civil War, support for Royalist Allied Forces aligned against Houthi movement (Yemen), rivalry and tactical cooperation with the United Arab Emirates, strategic competition with Iran, rapprochement moves toward Turkey, engagement with Israel through indirect contacts and shared interests, and alignment with Western capitals including Washington, D.C. and Paris on security and investment. He orchestrated diplomatic moves during the Gulf diplomatic crisis (2017–2021) involving Qatar, led military interventions in Yemen, negotiated energy diplomacy within OPEC and OPEC+ with partners like Russia, and pursued regional influence via arms deals with suppliers such as Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems.
International human rights organizations including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and UN experts have criticized crackdowns on dissidents, arrests of activists associated with movements like Women to Drive, and prosecutions handled by Saudi courts, citing cases involving critics such as Loujain al-Hathloul and journalists linked to outlets like al-Hayat and The Washington Post. Domestic security measures have involved the Specialized Criminal Court (Saudi Arabia), Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Saudi Arabia), and detention facilities scrutinized by bodies such as the International Criminal Court advocates, while legal reforms and anti-corruption detentions created tensions with multinational companies and foreign investors including Citigroup and Morgan Stanley.
The killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul provoked international investigations by authorities in Turkey, inquiries involving CIA, parliamentary scrutiny in United States Congress, reporting by outlets such as The Washington Post and The New York Times, and diplomatic repercussions including sanctions by United Kingdom, European Union discussions, and reassessments of security cooperation with capitals like Washington, D.C. and Ottawa. The incident led to legal actions in Turkish courts, UN statements from figures such as UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, and significant media coverage linking the episode to senior Saudi officials, prompting scrutiny of bilateral relations with partners including France, Germany, Japan, and South Korea.
Category:Living people Category:Saudi Arabian politicians Category:House of Saud