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By succeeding his half-brother Abdullah, King Salman inherited a kingdom facing many threats. The thrust of the Iranian-supported Huthi rebels in Yemen; the negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program which appear about to conclude in spite of stiff opposition on the part of Riyadh; the progression in Iraq and Syria of the Islamic State which now openly challenges the Saudi regime and the persistent fall in oil prices. Despite his advanced age -79- and his frail health, the new king has made surprisingly bold moves by sidelining officials close to his predecessor and by giving carte blanche to his youngest son Muhammad bin Salman, who, from March 2015 onwards, has led a war in Yemen against the Huthis. However, the uncertain outcome of this war, the agreement reached in July between Iran and the Western powers, the ongoing fall of oil prices and the absence of apparent support for Muhammad bin Salman within the al-Saud family suggest that, at the dawn of 2016, the situation of the kingdom is fraught with far more peril than just a year earlier when Salman acceded to the throne.