Saudi King Salman recovers after tests for lung ailment: royal court

Saudi King Salman on Wednesday completed tests for lung inflammation and "has recovered", the royal court said in a statement carried by state media.

The announcement came three days after the royal court disclosed that King Salman, 88, had a lung infection and would undergo tests "based on the recommendations of the royal clinics".

In May, the royal court first disclosed that King Salman was suffering from a lung ailment and had other symptoms including high temperature and joint pain.

At the time he underwent a treatment programme involving antibiotics, and the royal court announced soon afterwards that he had recovered.

King Salman has been on the throne since 2015, although his son Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman became first in the line of succession in 2017 and acts as day-to-day ruler.

On Tuesday Prince Mohammed "reassured everyone" about his father’s health during a cabinet meeting, state media reported.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest crude oil exporter, has sought to quell speculation over King Salman's health for years.

The previous month he was admitted for "routine examinations" and left later the same day.

Prior to that, he was hospitalised in May 2022, when he went in for a colonoscopy and stayed for just over a week for other tests and "some time to rest", the official Saudi Press Agency reported at the time.

He was also admitted to the hospital in March 2022 to undergo what state media described as "successful medical tests" and to change the battery of his pacemaker.

And in 2020 he underwent surgery to remove his gall bladder.

King Salman last chaired a cabinet meeting on September 24.

His reign has been marked by ambitious social and economic reforms largely managed by his son, who is trying to position Saudi Arabia for an eventual post-oil future.