Saudi Arabia’s defense minister, Pakistan’s army chief and Turkey’s intelligence chief are due in Tehran for the bloc’s first joint high-level contact with Iran.
TEHRAN – Senior officials from the Mecca Pact countries, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, are due to meet Iranian leaders in Tehran on Monday for talks on regional security, Saudi and Iranian officials said. The meeting would be the first high-level contact between Iran and all three members of the alliance since the Houthis escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Pakistani army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin will take part, said Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in comments carried by state media. The Iranian side will be led by council secretary Mohsen Rezaei. Saudi officials said the delegation will also meet President Masoud Pezeshkian, according to Arab News.
Saudi Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Rayed Krimly confirmed the visit on X. He said it is part of Mecca Pact efforts to de-escalate the crisis and promote diplomacy in support of mediation by Qatar and Pakistan. Bagheri Kani said the meeting could be an effective step toward regional security built on regional actors. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baqaei, said the meeting grew out of a Pakistani initiative during Munir’s visit to Tehran last week, Shafaq News reported. Qatari mediators met Iranian officials in Tehran on Sunday, Reuters reported.
The talks come as Saudi Arabia faces near-daily attacks from the Iran-aligned Houthis. Saudi forces intercepted another wave of missiles and drones on Sunday. Ministers from the Mecca Pact countries held an emergency meeting in Riyadh this month and agreed to ensure the rapid deployment of military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia.
Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in August. Under it, an armed attack on one member is considered an attack on all. Pakistan has completed ratification, and Turkey’s parliament is working on it.
The visit follows eight months of war between the US, Israel and Iran, and recent threats of renewed US and Israeli attacks. During Munir’s visit last week, Iranian officials told him there would be no talks with Washington until Tehran’s demands were met, according to Iranian media. Pakistan has been a key intermediary, and an interim agreement reached in June unraveled weeks later.
This story will be updated when the outcome of the talks is known.
This report draws on information from Reuters, Al Jazeera, Arab News and Shafaq News.