Saudi king names crown prince MbS as prime minister - Reuters

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (not pictured) at the Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece, July 26, 2022.

RIYADH, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz named his son and heir Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the kingdom's prime minister and his second son Prince Khalid as defence minister, a royal decree showed on Tuesday.

The reshuffle kept another son, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, as energy minister, the aged king said in the royal decree, carried by state news agency SPA.

The crown prince, known as MbS, is promoted from defence minister and has been the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter and a major U.S.

"HRH the crown prince, based on the king's orders, already supervises the main executive bodies of the state on a daily basis, and his new role as prime minister is within that context," said the official, who declined to be identified.

The crown prince said the kingdom has increased its self-sufficiency in military industries to 15% from 2% and plans to reach 50% under the newly appointed defence minister, SPA reported.