Iran Press/Middle East: Kuwait has sworn in its new emir, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah, to receive the body of his half-brother, the late ruler Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah who died in the United States at the age of 91.
The body of Sheikh Sabah, an acclaimed diplomat and mediator who ruled for 14 years, is expected to arrive in Kuwait City later on Wednesday. He died on Tuesday in Minnesota where he had been undergoing treatment in hospital since July.
According to the royal court, the funeral will be “restricted to the emir’s relatives” – a move likely designed to avoid large crowds amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Kuwait’s new leader, 83-year-old Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf, was sworn in at about 08:00 GMT during a session of the National Assembly. The Persian Gulf state has already begun a 40-day period of national mourning.
Sheikh Sabah earned a reputation as a remarkable leader who helped steer his country through the 1990 Iraqi invasion, crashes in global oil markets and upheavals in parliament and on the streets.
World leaders and Kuwaitis alike have hailed the legacy of the late emir, the architect of the nation’s modern foreign policy and mediator in some of the worst crises to grip the Persian Gulf.
Sheikh Nawaf, who has held high office for decades, takes over with Kuwait facing the repercussions of the coronavirus crisis, which triggered a sharp decline in oil prices and severe economic consequences for Persian Gulf states.
Iranian President extends condolences over the death of Emir of Kuwait
In a message, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran expressed his condolences to the Government and people of Kuwait over the death of Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hassan Rouhani, in a message on Wednesday to Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the new Emir of Kuwait, emphasized that Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah played an important role in establishing regional balance and moderation.
Rouhani wished divine mercy and forgiveness to Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
Sheikh "Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah", Emir of Kuwait, died on Tuesday at the age of 91.
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