Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA
Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz named in the early hours of Wednesday new crown prince, deputy crown prince and foreign minister in a new major cabinet reshuffle.
King Salman has accepted a request by his Crown Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz to be relieved of his duties, naming Deputy Crown Prince Mohamed bin Nayef as the new heir to the Saudi throne, the Saudi TV reported citing new royal decrees.
The monarch also promoted his son Prince Mohamed, the minister of defense, as new Deputy Crown Prince, making him second-in-line to the throne.
Under the new royal decrees, bin Nayef becomes the first grandson of King Abdulaziz, the founder of the kingdom, to be promoted as crown prince.
Prince Mohamed, 30, becomes the youngest member of the royal family to serve as deputy crown prince.
He also accepted a request by long-serving Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal to be relieved of his duties, naming Saudi Ambassador to Washington Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir as new foreign minister.
King Salman has also named new ministers for health, labor and economy.
He also promoted Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Suwailem, the current chief-of-staff of the crown prince's office, to be chief of the Royal Court.
Salman assumed the Saudi throne following the death of his brother King Abdullah on January 23 of this year.
