Saudi Arabia consolidates energy and industry ministries as Yemeni pro‑Saudi officials relocate to Riyadh

Saudi Arabia’s cabinet issued a royal decree that appointed Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman to the additional post of Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, merging the kingdom’s two most strategic economic portfolios under a single minister. The same order removed the former Industry Minister, Bandar Alkhorayef, assigning him as Acting Governor of the General Authority for Military Industries, signalling a tighter centralisation of power as the country grapples with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and its impact on oil revenues.

In a related regional development, several pro‑Saudi Yemeni government officials and senior military commanders departed Aden’s Al‑Maashiq Palace for Riyadh via Aden International Airport. The movement, escorted by military vehicles, followed a Saudi‑backed “Special Committee” directive that ordered the closure of Aden and Seiyun airports and the diversion of flights to Djibouti, prompting criticism over disrupted civilian travel and heightened tensions in the Yemen conflict.