Kuwait's emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, regarded as the architect of the nation's modern foreign policy, died on Tuesday at the age of 91, the royal court said, according to AFP.
"With great sadness and sorrow, we mourn... the death of Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of the State of Kuwait," said Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah, the minister in charge of royal affairs, in a televised statement.
The emir had been receiving hospital treatment in the United States since July after undergoing surgery in Kuwait City.
No details have been disclosed on the nature of the emir's illness or treatment, and the palace did not say where he died.
Later on Tuesday, Kuwait named Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah as its new emir.
"Pursuant to the provisions of the constitution... the cabinet calls upon the crown prince, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al-Sabah, as the Emir of the State of Kuwait," deputy prime minister Anas Khalid Al-Saleh said in a televised address.
US President Donald Trump issued a statement in which he said he is “deeply saddened” by the Kuwaiti leader.
“Melania and I send our sincere condolences to the people of Kuwait. Sheikh Sabah was an unwavering friend and partner to the United States. Earlier this month, I had the honor of awarding him the prestigious Legion of Merit, Degree Chief Commander,” said Trump.
“The Emir was an unparalleled diplomat, having served as Foreign Minister for 40 years. His tireless mediation of disputes in the Middle East bridged divides under the most challenging circumstances. I hope that the Gulf nations will come together to honor his legacy and work toward the cooperative future he envisioned,” the statement added.
Trump said two weeks ago that there is a “good chance” that Kuwait will normalize ties with Israel soon. That statement followed the signing of the normalization agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
Last month, Kuwait doubled down on its anti-Israel stance and said, "Our position toward Israel has not changed as a result of the deal to normalize relations with the UAE, and we will be the last to normalize ties.”
Kuwait, which does not recognize Israel, has said it supports the Palestinian people in their quest to attain legitimate rights and its officials have made clear that Kuwait will continue to abstain from normalizing relations with Israel unless the demands of the Palestinian people have been met.