US congratulates Mohammad bin Salman for his new post

CAIRO- 22 June 2017: Spokesperson for the United States Department of State Heather Nauert congratulated Mohammad bin Salman's promotion to crown prince on Wednesday.

“The United States congratulates Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman of Saudi Arabia on his appointment as Crown Prince” Nauert tweeted frome the US Department of State’s official account.

“The United States and Saudi Arabia have a long-standing and wide-reaching partnership, and we look forward to continuing our work with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in his new role to defeat terrorism and improve our mutual security, stability, and prosperity,” the State Department said on Wednesday in an official statement. “Together we will build on the strong, strategic foundation of counterterrorism and security cooperation between our countries”

The royal ceremony of bin Salman’s promotion to crown prince was held on Wednesday night at Al Safa Palace in Mecca, where Saudis pledged their allegiance to him, Reuters reported.

"We must move forward hand in hand... standing behind our leadership which we pray to God is a wise one," Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Sheikh said, opening the pledging ceremony. "By God's book (the Quran) and the laws of His Messenger, I pledge allegiance."

King Salman relieved Mohammed bin Nayef, Salman's nephew and a counter-terrorism chief, of his posts. Thirty one out of thirty four members from the Allegiance Council have pledged allegiance to the new crown prince.