Mohammad bin Nayef America’s prince in Riyadh: experts

“The Saudi king and his newly appointed crown prince, Mohammed bin Nayef, wanted to make sure that Muqrin bin Abdulaziz is out of the position of crown prince before May 13, when the Saudi government will attend the Persian Gulf Arab monarchies’ summit with US President Barack Obama in Washington.”

Ali al-Ahmed, the director of the Institute for Gulf Affairs, in Washington, and Richard William Murphy, a former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, in New York, expressed these views while talking to Press TV. They discussed the reshuffle of cabinet and the replacement of the crown prince in Saudi Arabia

The political expert adds, “Since the appointment of Muqrin about 90 days ago to the crown prince position, he has been marginalized in the media and in receiving international visitors into the country.” Al-Ahmed adds that none of the American and European officials who visited Riyadh during the recent months met with Muqrin.

The de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia is American-backed and is America’s favorite to become king and the US’s approval or disapproval has an impact on the appointment of cabinet and crown prince in the kingdom, he argues, noting that Mohammad bin Nayef, the new crown prince, “has a close relationship with John Brennan,” the director of the CIA, and Nayef is “America’s prince in Riyadh.”

Muqrin has also been dismissed because of the ongoing infighting and competition in the ruling family of the Saudi kingdom, al-Ahmed maintains.

Murphy, for his turn, says Mohammad bin Nayef is well-known to the CIA and the US government, and did a “remarkable” job as interior minister, which put him close to American intelligence channels, and he also has a broad base within the royal family in Saudi Arabia.