Khaled was named Abu Dhabi’s crown prince on Wednesday by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates, making him the next in line to succeed Sheikh Mohammed as head of the federation.
Late on Wednesday, the government-run WAM news agency made an unspecific announcement about Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan being named crown prince.
There were suspicions that Sheikh Mohammed, also known as MBZ, might name one of his brothers as his heir after taking office last year.
The front-runners in that scenario would have been Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed, the formidable national security commander, Sheikh Mansour, the owner of Manchester City, or Sheikh Abdullah, the foreign minister.
The head of the nation’s intelligence service, Sheikh Khaled, was appointed in 2016.
Dubai, a significant international hub for commerce and travel, is located in the United Arab Emirates, a close ally of the United States.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was the UAE’s first president from 1971 until 2004.
He was the impetus behind the country’s founding. As his successor and deputy crown prince, he named his eldest son Khalifa and MBZ.
After Sheikh Khalifa suffered a stroke in 2014, Sheikh Mohammed assumed the role of de facto ruler of the country. In May 2022, eight years later, Sheikh Khalifa passed away.
The UAE had strong ties with Saudi Arabia, it’s neighbor, when Sheikh Mohammed was in power.
At first, the UAE participated in Saudi Arabia’s war against Yemen’s Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, but it eventually withdrew from the battle. While it has fought against the growth of Islamic organizations, the UAE has sought to project military force across the region.
The first of the Abraham Accords, which repaired relations between Israel and the UAE in 2020, was followed by Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan.
JOIN US ON WHAT'SAPP, TO GET INSTANT STATUS UPDATES AND BE IN THE KNOW.
CLICK HERE
