Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan to Hold Talks with Iran Amid Regional Tensions
Top officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan are set to meet with Iranian leaders in Tehran on Monday in a bid to de-escalate regional tensions. The talks come as attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have intensified and rhetoric between Washington and Tehran has grown more heated.
The meeting will be the first high-level contact between Iran and all members of the three-nation bloc since Saudi Arabia became a pressure point in the wider Iran conflict. Saudi Arabia will be represented by Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan by army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Turkey by intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin. The talks are part of ongoing efforts by the Mecca Pact countries to de-escalate the current crisis, promote diplomatic solutions, and support mediation efforts led by Qatar and Pakistan.
The meeting was initiated by Pakistan, with Iranian officials telling Pakistani army chief Munir during his visit to Tehran last week that there would be no talks with Washington until Tehran's demands were met. Diplomatic efforts to prevent escalation have been ongoing, with Qatari mediators meeting Iranian officials in Tehran on Sunday.
The talks come as tensions between Washington and Tehran have sharpened in recent days, with President Donald Trump saying the US may carry out another military operation against Iran. Iranian security officials have told Reuters that Tehran has drawn up detailed plans to hit Gulf undersea cables if the United States and Israel attack again.
The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed in August, considers an armed attack on one member as an attack on all. The agreement's first article states that the parties shall use "all necessary means" to eliminate threats to one another's territorial integrity, sovereignty or internationally recognised borders.
