King Salman of Saudi Arabia, 84, was hospitalized on Monday for an inflammation of the gallbladder, which has postponed the planned visit of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazimi, authorities said.
Read also: In Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Ben Salman assures his accession to the throne by force
The kingdom rarely communicates on the state of health of the aging monarch, who since 2015 has ruled the country, the world's largest exporter of crude oil and the largest Arab economy. " The king was admitted to the King Faisal specialist hospital in Riyadh to carry out examinations due to inflammation of the gallbladder (cholecystitis) ", his cabinet announced, quoted by the official SPA press agency, without provide details.
Postponed visit
The Iraqi prime minister was due to visit Saudi Arabia on Monday before a visit to Iran, two allies of Baghdad between whom there is a rivalry in the region. " The visit (of the Iraqi Prime Minister) was postponed until the king was released from the hospital, " Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal ben Farhane said on Twitter. Saudi Arabia " appreciates the choice of the Iraqi prime minister to visit the kingdom for his first visit since taking office " in May, he insisted.
Read also: tripled VAT, reduced allowances: Saudi Arabia undergoing austerity
Under the king's reign, Saudi Arabia launched post-oil economic reforms but also adopted a more assertive foreign policy and went to war with neighboring Yemen. In 2017, Saudi Arabia denied media reports that the king planned to abdicate in favor of his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is considered the de facto ruler of the kingdom. Prince Mohammed's meteoric rise to the head of the country has coincided with a severe crackdown on activists and dissenting voices, even within the royal family.
