The 29th Arab summit got underway in Saudi Arabia on Sunday under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, who warned of Iran’s looming threat against the region. The summit, held at Dhahran’s King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, brings together the kings, presidents and leaders of 17 Arab countries. “We underline the dangerousness of the Iranian behavior in the region,” he said in an opening address to the gatherers after the presidency of the summit was transferred to him from last year’s holder, Jordan. He therefore called for a “strong international” stance on Tehran’s behavior. The Arab nation, he continued, is passing through very difficult circumstances. He highlighted the crises in the region, holding the Iran-backed Houthis militias responsible for the ongoing Yemeni crisis. In the Palestinian territories, he reiterated Riyadh’s stance that east Jerusalem must be the capital of an independent Palestinian state. Prior to the opening of the summit, King Salman said via Twitter: “The summit is the culmination of honest intentions and efforts to reach a united vision and deal with all challenges with a firm will and joint coordination.” The latest developments in the region, namely the crisis in Syria and Iran’s meddling in Arab internal affairs, are expected to take center stage at the Dhahran talks.