London: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the powerful heir to the Saudi Arabian throne, has reportedly kept his own mother away from his father, the king, out of fear she would stand in the way of his rapid rise to power.

The reports came as he warned that Saudi Arabia would develop its own nuclear weapons if Iran was allowed to build a nuclear bomb.

The prince has prevented Princess Fahda bint Falah al-Hathleen, his mother, from seeing King Salman for more than two years. At one point, she may even have been held under house arrest at a royal palace, NBC News reported, citing 14 current and former US intelligence officials. Saudi Arabia's government strongly denied the claim.

Little is known about Fahda, the king's third wife, and as with most Saudi royal women she is not seen in public.

According to NBC, the crown prince provided his father with several reasons why he could not see his mother.