Saudi King Salman names son next in line to throne

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — 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.

Saudi Arabia’s once-powerful counterterrorism czar, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, was removed from the line of succession — giving the younger prince a firmer hold on the kingdom’s foreign policies, including its rivalry with Iran, its more than two-year-long war in Yemen and its punishing moves to isolate Qatar.

The shuffle stripped Mohammed bin Nayef of his title as crown prince and interior minister. The announcements were carried on the state-run Saudi Press Agency.

The all-but-certain takeover of the throne by Mohammed bin Salman awards vast powers to a young prince who has taken a hard-line with Iran and who has led a war in Yemen that has killed thousands of civilians.

MBS is now poised to become the first Saudi monarch from a generation of royals who represent the grandsons of the country’s founder, King Abdul-aziz. For decades, the throne has passed from elderly brother to elderly brother — all sons of the late founder.

After the decrees were announced, Saudi TV aired footage of the new crown prince warmly greeting the man he is replacing, Mohammed bin Nayef. MBS is shown kissing his older cousin’s hand and kneeling before him; the outgoing crown prince is heard telling him: “I will rest now, and God help you.”