UAE president's letter to elderly Saudi king seen as jab at Crown Prince

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan has sent a handwritten letter to Saudi Arabia's King Salman, reportedly bypassing Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. This move has been seen by US and Arab diplomats as an effort to bypass the powerful Crown Prince, who is currently the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia. The letter, written by the UAE's Ambassador to Riyadh, Mater Salem Ali Marran al-Dhaheri, to Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Elkhereiji, has been viewed as a personal invitation for King Salman to attend a UN-sponsored water conference in Abu Dhabi in December.

The UAE's decision to bypass Saudi Arabia and go directly to the king comes as tensions between the two Gulf neighbors continue to strain, especially after the Saudi bombing of UAE allies in Yemen and their support for opposing sides in Sudan's civil war.