Regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia hosts Islamic, Arab and Gulf summits this week as tensions between Iran and the US raise fears of military escalation.
The three summits in Makkah allow US ally Riyadh the chance to present unified Islamic, Arab and Gulf fronts against its arch-rival Tehran.
Iran itself has not yet confirmed whether it will attend the meeting of the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC), of which it is a member.
Hussein Ibish, a scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, said Riyadh’s aim was “to consolidate Arab and Muslim support, anticipating intensified confrontation or diplomacy”.
