Saudi Arabia is looking to assert its regional leadership against Iran by hosting a summit between visiting US President Donald Trump and Muslim leaders from around the world, AFP reported Friday (May 19th).
For Riyadh, analysts say, a primary goal of the summit is to showcase its leadership of the Muslim world, especially in the face of regional rival Iran.
It is "a sign of Saudi regional leadership", and aims to show the extent to which the kingdom can gather key Muslim leaders, said Adam Baron, a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
Leaders and representatives of 55 countries -- from the south-east Asian sultanate of Brunei to Africa's Niger and heavyweights including Turkey -- have been invited by King Salman for Sunday's (May 21st) summit.
