GETTY Jordan's King has had his brothers and cousin arrested for speaking to Saudi Arabia

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Jordan, which is usually seen as being a neutral state in the Middle East, is reported to have detained the three men at their homes after the individuals allegedly spoke to Saudi and Emirati leaders. Tensions across the region have risen in recent months with countries showing scepticism towards the aims of Saudi Arabia’s new Crown Prince, Mohammad bin Salman. Regional news site Al-sura reported that King Abdullah arrested his brothers and cousin, Prince Faisal bin Hussein, Prince Ali bin Hussein and Prince Talal bin Muhammad after his intelligence services claimed they had been in contact with Saudi and Emirati leaders.

Despite the media reports, the Jordanian military has played down claims the men were placed under house arrest. Instead, they have insisted that the brothers and cousin retired early as part of military changes to the Jordanian Army. The men have not been seen since their alleged house arrest.

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Jordan, like many other countries in the Middle East, is said to suspect Saudi Arabia of planning to become a regional superpower. Marcus Chevenix, Middle East analyst at TS Lombard, said the diplomatic relationships in the region had become “unpredictable”. He said: “I really struggle to predict what's going to happen next. “This is the first time for a very long time that there hasn't been an external arbiter in the Middle East who basically defines everyone's diplomatic relationships.

GETTY Jordan's King with his brothers and cousin

GETTY Jordan and Saudi Arabia have had good relations in the past