The Best of Frenemies: Saudi Crown Prince Clashes With U.A.E. President

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By Summer Said, Dion Nissenbaum, Stephen Kalin and Saleh al-Batati

(The Wall Street Journal) — Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gathered local journalists in Riyadh for a rare off-the-record briefing in December and delivered a stunning message. The country’s ally of decades, the United Arab Emirates, had “stabbed us in the back,” he said.

“They will see what I can do,” he told the group, according to people at the meeting.

A rift has opened up between the 37-year-old Mohammed and his onetime mentor, U.A.E. President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, that reflects a competition for geopolitical and economic power in the Middle East and global oil markets. The two royals, who spent almost a decade climbing to the top of the Arab world, are now feuding over who calls the shots in a Middle East where the U.S. plays a diminished role.