Saudi Crown Prince Captures Attention of US Media

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during an interview with Fox News (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during an interview with Fox News (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT

Saudi Crown Prince Captures Attention of US Media

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during an interview with Fox News (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during an interview with Fox News (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Extensive media coverage in the United States has focused on Fox News’ interview with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which was aired on Wednesday evening.

The dialogue with the Crown Prince shed light on the situation in the Middle East and relations with Israel.

Additionally, the interview brought attention to the Crown Prince’s commitment to enhancing living conditions of Palestinians.

Topics covered during the interview were diverse and resonated in both political and economic dimensions. They encompassed discussions about Chinese and American leaders, Iran, energy markets, Vision 2030, economic growth, and judicial reforms.

US media outlets gave emphasis to the Crown Prince’s leadership abilities and his willingness to establish improved relations with Iran, while also highlighting his determination to obtain nuclear capabilities should Iran acquire them.

They directly referenced messages conveyed during the interview to President Joe Biden’s administration, which could represent a significant political triumph in foreign policy if negotiations for normalization with Israel were successful.

The New York Post’s Victor Nava covered statements by the Crown Prince on the Kingdom’s approach when it comes to the question of acquiring nuclear weapons if Iran does so first.

According to Nava, the Crown Prince expressed “concern” about the possibility of a nuclear Iran in the wide-ranging interview with Fox News host Bret Baier.

“Well, we are concerned [about] any country getting a nuclear weapon. That’s a bad move,” said the Crown Prince.

“You don’t need to get a nuclear weapon because you can’t use it even if you can get a nuclear weapon.”

The Crown Prince argued that if Iran is able to obtain a nuclear weapon and its authoritarian regime decides to use it, the country would quickly find itself at war with “the world.”

“The world cannot see another Hiroshima,” he noted.

On the other hand, CNN emphasized the statements made by the Saudi Crown Prince regarding the prospects of normalizing ties with Israel.

The news channel pointed to the Crown Prince’s statements on Saudi Arabia getting closer every day to reaching an agreement with Israel.

CNN deemed these statements as unprecedented, particularly in the context of ongoing negotiations being taken “very seriously.”

The Crown Prince had told Baier that a pact with Israel would be “the biggest historical deal since the Cold War.”



King Salman Orders One-Year Extension of the Citizen Account Program

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. (SPA)
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King Salman Orders One-Year Extension of the Citizen Account Program

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. (SPA)

Upon the recommendation of Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ordered on Monday that the Citizen Account Program be extended, in its current framework, until the end of 2025.

The directive also includes a one-year extension of the additional support to the program’s beneficiaries, as well as the continuation of the program’s registration process.

The royal directive reflects the Saudi leadership’s keenness on citizens. The additional support to the program’s beneficiaries was already extended under a royal directive in July 2022.