Iranian President expected in Saudi Arabia

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad begins his first official visit to Saudi Arabia today, a trip that many in the region hope will help calm sectarian tensions threatening the Middle East as well as conflicts in Iraq and Lebanon.

Ahmadinejad is expected in the Saudi capital this afternoon for talks with the Saudi monarch, King Abdullah. This is Ahmadinejad’s first official trip to the kingdom. The Iranian president visited the kingdom in December 2005 but only to participate in an Islamic summit in the holy city of Mecca.