In an interview with the website of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, Amin Parto, referring to the decree of the King of Saudi Arabia for the implementation of changes in the government structure of that country, appointment of Mohammed bin Salman as the head of the Council of Ministers and promotion of the political position of Salman’s children, stated: Saudi Arabia is not a constitutional monarchy in which there would be a separation between the ruling system and the government, and the head of the Council of Ministers is actually considered as the head of the ruling system and the executive branch.

Recalling that bin Salman, while still a crown prince, has assumed the chairmanship of the Council of Ministers and the head of the executive branch of Saudi Arabia, has established the kingdom after his father for him, regarding the US cooperation with the kingdom of Mohammed bin Salman despite the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi dissident journalist in Turkey, he said: During Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia, the US president failed to achieve his desire to convince Riyadh to increase oil production, while a new agreement for the sale of weapons was not signed during that trip, and Saudi Arabia only demanded for the implementation of the same previous agreements for receiving weapon. Therefore, many considered the trip as a failure. In addition, Riyadh emphasized that the US should clarify whether it accepts Saudi Arabia as an ally or not.

Parto referred to the report of the French News Agency regarding the request of an American judge from the American government to clarify the status of Bin Salman’s political immunity and the commitment of the US courts to close his cases and continued: From the point of view of Saudi Arabia, despite the numerous murders of the Zionist regime, the United States continues to support it with a dual approach and does not deal with any of the illegal and anti-human rights measures of that regime, but due to the murder of Khashoggi, it has considered consequences for Saudi Arabia.

He said despite some analysis that were referred to, the US is looking for the kingdom of “bin Nayef” instead of “bin Salman”, the White House did not have much input in this regard and it seems that they are not looking to interfere in this matter, adding: At the end of Biden’s trip, Bin Salman also did not answer the journalists’ question about whether he was able to get the necessary guarantees from the United States for not dealing with Khashoggi’s murder.

Parto also referred to the US focus on China and Russia, as well as Europe’s problems regarding the high price of energy and its future, and said: Now, Saudi Arabia earns about one billion dollars a day with the daily export of about 11 million barrels of crude oil; under such situation, some of those countries are greedy for Saudi investment and getting economic privileges; meanwhile, Germany also canceled the arms embargo it had imposed against Saudi Arabia since 2017 and does not deal much with the issue of Khashoggi’s murder and human rights issues in Saudi Arabia. Of course, bin Salman has tried to reduce international pressures and relevant problems with some reforms in line with paying attention to women’s rights and human rights issues.

Referring to the appointment of Mohammed bin Salman’s brother as the Minister of Defense, the expert on Saudi affairs added: From the time of Mohammed bin Salman onwards, other princes of al Saud will not have an economic role like in the past. In the past, the princes had exclusive rights and privileges, but bin Salman canceled their rights and removed political positions such as ministerial positions from the family status.

According to Parto; In fact, bin Salman has used people from outside the family in some positions, but he has tried to get some sensitive positions, such as the Ministry of Defense or the Ministry of the National Guard and the security apparatus, faithful to himself with family ties from his father’s generation and not his cousins. In the new changes, key positions such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Energy, State and Finance Affairs have not changed, and Abdulaziz bin Salman, another son of King Salman, has been retained in the position of the Ministry of Energy.

He pointed out: Bin Salman tried to change the social base of his power and change the type of his authority from tribal to national and citizen authority. His objective was that people’s relationship with the ruling system should not be sharia-oriented based on Wahhabism and that they should be considered as Saudi citizens who should be loyal to the country’s throne. Such reforms have attracted the attention of Saudi women and youth and have made him popular.

Stating that the citizens and princes of Saudi Arabia inside the country do not have the courage to oppose the appointment of Mohammed bin Salman as the head of the Council of Ministers, Parto said: due to the cancellation of the economic privileges of the Saudi princes, they will gradually become like ordinary citizens, even though it is possible that they still want to have an aristocratic title for themselves.

The analyst of Saudi affairs regarding the foreign policy of Mohammed bin Salman, despite his approach to the kingship in that country, said: Compared to the beginning of his status as the crown prince and during the past seven years, bin Salman is showing more maturity and has distanced from the initial adventures and is more conservative, but all governments make mistakes anyway. Therefore, according to what has happened since bin Salman became the crown prince, his kingdom will be definitely different from other Saudi kings.