Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (born August 31, 1985), commonly known as MBS, is the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia and its de facto ruler, overseeing the kingdom's foreign, defense, intelligence, and security policies, with a focus on countering Iran. He is the eldest son of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and his third wife, Fahda bint Falah Al Hithlain (from the Ajman tribe). MBS graduated second in his class with a law degree from King Saud University in 2007. His rise to power accelerated when his father became king in 2015, leading to appointments as Minister of Defense (2015), deputy crown prince (2015), crown prince (2017), and Prime Minister (2022). As de facto ruler, he oversees ambitious reforms under Vision 2030 aimed at economic diversification away from oil dependency, including managing the Public Investment Fund (PIF), which he chairs and has used for global investments in tech, sports (like Newcastle United), and entertainment. His tenure includes social reforms (allowing women to drive in 2018, attend sports events), aggressive foreign policies such as the intervention in Yemen (2015) criticized for humanitarian crises, the 2017 Qatar blockade, normalization efforts with Israel, and strained relations with some international partners. He has cultivated ties with the US, particularly under Trump. Domestically, he has led anti-corruption campaigns (2017, including the Ritz-Carlton detentions that extracted billions in settlements) and chairs the High Anti-Corruption Commission and economic councils. His rule is marked by controversial actions including the 2018 assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi (linked to him by US intelligence), the 2019 arrest of women's rights activists, and broader international accusations of human rights abuses, torture, and extrajudicial killings from organizations like Amnesty International. MBS is married to Princess Sara bint Mashhoor bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (since 2008) and has five children. He maintains a modernizing yet authoritarian approach, positioning Saudi Arabia as a regional power through projects like NEOM while facing ongoing international criticism. He balances Wahhabi conservatism with pragmatic alliances in Middle East geopolitics.