Amid tensions with Iran, the ongoing war in Yemen and the Gulf crisis, Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz on Wednesday issued a decree appointing Prince Faisal bin Farhan as foreign minister to succeed Ibrahim al-Assaf, who held the post for only 10 months.

Prince Faisal was born in 1974, and before his appointment as foreign minister, he was the ambassador of his country to Germany since last February, and served as senior adviser at the Saudi Embassy in Washington.

In addition to his diplomatic experience, he has a long experience in armament affairs and was a member of the board of the Saudi Military Industries Company.

The newspaper "Tages Spiegel" German Prince Faisal, who is fluent in German close to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and has 15 years of experience in the field of armament.

Iran and the West
The new foreign minister is one of the most vocal officials against Iran. Saudi media quoted him in September as saying that all options were on the table to respond to Tehran in response to the targeting of two Saudi Aramco oil facilities.

He made earlier to the radio "Deutschland Funk" German statements, saying: "Whoever started from the attack, Iran is certainly behind it, as it manufactured (missiles) and can not be launched without Iranian assistance."

He also warned Tehran not to continue its aggression against his country, saying that "the latest attack is an attack on the global economy .. Iran must take responsibility and realize that it can not continue in its aggression."

Local media in the kingdom usually celebrate Faisal bin Farhan. The newspaper "Okaz" named him "a politician of difficult circumstances", following his appointment as ambassador to Germany.

Middle East expert Shinzia Bianco said the new minister had "strong relations with the West", adding that he was "dynamic and working from a proactive perspective. The ministry would be different."

"The Prince's relations are very strong with Saudi Arabia's traditional allies," the expert said.

Khashoggi's lure
But the minister's relations with the West are hampered by his alleged role in the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at his country's consulate in Istanbul in October 2018.

Eight months ago, non-governmental organizations operating in Berlin hinted at popular movements to prevent the appointment of Prince Faisal as ambassador to Germany, given his involvement in the killing of Khashoggi.

At the time, the European Microscope Foundation said several organizations had called on German President Frank-Steinmeier to prevent Saudi Arabia's decision to appoint Prince Faisal as ambassador to Berlin.

She explained that he was involved in the process of luring Khashoggi to the consulate of his country in Istanbul, when he was a senior adviser at the embassy of his country to the United States.

It is noteworthy that Saudi Arabia has been under increasing criticism from the West in recent months for its human rights record, especially in the file of the killing of Khashoggi and the war waged in Yemen.

The Khashoggi affair severely damaged Saudi Arabia's relations with the West and tarnished the image of the crown prince who was trying to emerge as a reformer.