Paris: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, hailed as a reformer, became a global pariah in 2018 after the gruesome murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Four years after he is being rehabilitated, Greece and France welcomed him this week on his first visit to the West since the Khashoggi case, less than two weeks after he received a reconciliation visit – and fist bump – from the US president . Joe Biden,
Here is a list of major events since Saudi became the de facto ruler.
On June 21, 2017, King Salman named his then-31-year-old son Mohammed as Crown Prince, a meteoric rise of the ambitious defense minister.
It comes amid a major fallout with Qatar, which Riyadh accuses of supporting terrorism and being too close to Saudi Arabia’s arch-rival Iran.
In November 2017, around 380 royals, senior executives and business tycoons were arrested in a dramatic purge presented as an anti-corruption campaign.
Many riads are held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel for weeks. Most are issued after an agreed upon significant financial settlement.
In September 2017, the monarchy ended the world’s only ban on female drivers by announcing that they would be able to take the wheel from June 2018.
Cinemas have also reopened, concerts are held with mixed-gender audiences, and women are allowed into sports stadiums.
The enthusiasm generated by the announcements has been somewhat dampened by the repression of women activists who campaigned for the right to drive.
In November 2017, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced in a televised address from Riyadh that he was resigning, citing Iran’s “hold” on his country.
Saudi Arabia is accused of forcing its hand in trying to undermine the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement that shares power in Lebanon.
Following the intervention of France, Hariri returns to Lebanon and withdraws his resignation.
Riyadh enters the war in Yemen in 2015 as head of an internationally recognized government-backed Arab coalition against Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
The Saudi-led bombing campaign escalates the conflict, turning it into a proxy war between Riyadh and Tehran, creating the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
In March 2018, the prince visits Egypt and the UK as heiress on his first overseas tour, where he has lunch with Queen Elizabeth II.
Prince Mohammed then spends more than two weeks in the United States meeting with the President Donald Trump and visiting tech leaders in Silicon Valley. He also visits France and Spain.
On October 2, 2018, Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered and isolated inside the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate, sparking global outrage.
Prince Mohammed refused to order the killing. The government blames rogue security officials.
A Saudi court condemned five people to death over the murder, but they were later given prison sentences instead.
The case turns the Crown Prince into a pariah in the West, with both a UN rapporteur and the CIA linking him to the assassination.
In April 2021, Prince Mohammed surprised by announcing that he wanted to have “good relations” with Iran. The following year, the two arch-enemies hold five rounds of talks in Iraq, prompting speculation that they may resume diplomatic relations.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led coalition agree to a two-month ceasefire in April 2022, which they renew in June.
As Riyadh seeks a way out of the war, Yemen’s Saudi-backed President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi announced that he was handing over power to a new council that would hold peace talks with the Houthis.
On July 15, US President Joe Biden visits Saudi Arabia on a mission to try to increase the global oil supply. He greets the Crown Prince with a punch, ensuring the Saudi leader’s return to the international arena.
The image drew sharp criticism from rights groups, with Khashoggi’s bereaved fiancé accusing Biden of having blood on her hands.
Prince Mohammed arrived in Paris from Greece on Wednesday on his first visit to Europe since Khashoggi’s death. He will meet with President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday.
Four years after he is being rehabilitated, Greece and France welcomed him this week on his first visit to the West since the Khashoggi case, less than two weeks after he received a reconciliation visit – and fist bump – from the US president . Joe Biden,
Here is a list of major events since Saudi became the de facto ruler.
On June 21, 2017, King Salman named his then-31-year-old son Mohammed as Crown Prince, a meteoric rise of the ambitious defense minister.
It comes amid a major fallout with Qatar, which Riyadh accuses of supporting terrorism and being too close to Saudi Arabia’s arch-rival Iran.
In November 2017, around 380 royals, senior executives and business tycoons were arrested in a dramatic purge presented as an anti-corruption campaign.
Many riads are held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel for weeks. Most are issued after an agreed upon significant financial settlement.
In September 2017, the monarchy ended the world’s only ban on female drivers by announcing that they would be able to take the wheel from June 2018.
Cinemas have also reopened, concerts are held with mixed-gender audiences, and women are allowed into sports stadiums.
The enthusiasm generated by the announcements has been somewhat dampened by the repression of women activists who campaigned for the right to drive.
In November 2017, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced in a televised address from Riyadh that he was resigning, citing Iran’s “hold” on his country.
Saudi Arabia is accused of forcing its hand in trying to undermine the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement that shares power in Lebanon.
Following the intervention of France, Hariri returns to Lebanon and withdraws his resignation.
Riyadh enters the war in Yemen in 2015 as head of an internationally recognized government-backed Arab coalition against Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
The Saudi-led bombing campaign escalates the conflict, turning it into a proxy war between Riyadh and Tehran, creating the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
In March 2018, the prince visits Egypt and the UK as heiress on his first overseas tour, where he has lunch with Queen Elizabeth II.
Prince Mohammed then spends more than two weeks in the United States meeting with the President Donald Trump and visiting tech leaders in Silicon Valley. He also visits France and Spain.
On October 2, 2018, Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered and isolated inside the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate, sparking global outrage.
Prince Mohammed refused to order the killing. The government blames rogue security officials.
A Saudi court condemned five people to death over the murder, but they were later given prison sentences instead.
The case turns the Crown Prince into a pariah in the West, with both a UN rapporteur and the CIA linking him to the assassination.
In April 2021, Prince Mohammed surprised by announcing that he wanted to have “good relations” with Iran. The following year, the two arch-enemies hold five rounds of talks in Iraq, prompting speculation that they may resume diplomatic relations.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led coalition agree to a two-month ceasefire in April 2022, which they renew in June.
As Riyadh seeks a way out of the war, Yemen’s Saudi-backed President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi announced that he was handing over power to a new council that would hold peace talks with the Houthis.
On July 15, US President Joe Biden visits Saudi Arabia on a mission to try to increase the global oil supply. He greets the Crown Prince with a punch, ensuring the Saudi leader’s return to the international arena.
The image drew sharp criticism from rights groups, with Khashoggi’s bereaved fiancé accusing Biden of having blood on her hands.
Prince Mohammed arrived in Paris from Greece on Wednesday on his first visit to Europe since Khashoggi’s death. He will meet with President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday.