MBS plans first US visit since becoming Saudi crown prince

Saudi Arabia is organizing Mohammed bin Salman’s first US visit since he became crown prince last year, multiple sources with knowledge of the plan told Al-Monitor.

The weekslong tour starting in early March, with possible stops in Washington, Boston, San Francisco, New York and Houston, aims to demonstrate that Riyadh is open for business after Mohammed led a purge of more than 40 members of the royal family last year. The 32-year-old prince also serves as his country’s defense minister and is close to Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner.

“Part of it is the Saudi roadshow,” said Andrew Bowen, a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. “I think that they feel that the Saudi-US relationship needs to move beyond Washington.”

Coming on the heels of a planned visit to Britain and France later this month, Mohammed’s tour appears aimed at convincing Western officials that his self-described anti-corruption purge is making Riyadh safe for business. The prince — often referred to by his initials “MBS” in Washington policy circles — is spearheading the push to diversify Saudi Arabia’s oil-reliant economy, the so-called Saudi Vision 2030.