Saudi, Pakistan And Turkey Officials To Hold Iran Talks Amid Houthi Attacks

Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan are scheduled to meet Iranian representatives in Tehran on Monday to discuss regional security and coordination, as regional tensions persist and Saudi Arabia faces continued Houthi attacks.

The meeting would mark the first high-level contact between Iran and all three members of the Mecca Pact since Saudi Arabia came under escalating attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement. The discussions come as the three countries seek to strengthen their defence coordination under a joint agreement signed in August.

According to Reuters, two people familiar with the matter confirmed the planned meeting. Saudi Arabia will be represented by Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, while Pakistan’s delegation will include army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. Turkey’s intelligence chief, Ibrahim Kalin, is also expected to attend.

Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, confirmed the planned visits in comments to Iranian state television. He said the three officials would travel to Tehran for consultations with Iran’s top security body on regional security.

Saudi Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Rayed Krimly said the meeting was part of efforts to de-escalate the crisis, promote diplomatic solutions and support mediation led by Qatar and Pakistan, Reuters reported. Pakistan’s military media wing and Turkey’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Pakistan’s Role In Iran-US Mediation

The planned talks follow Munir’s visit to Tehran last week, during which he met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior Iranian officials. Iranian officials told Munir during the visit that Tehran would not engage in talks with Washington until its demands were met, according to Iranian media.

Pakistan has played a key intermediary role between Iran and the United States. Earlier mediation efforts by Pakistan and Qatar helped secure an interim peace agreement in June, but the arrangement quickly unravelled when fighting between the two countries resumed weeks later.

The latest diplomatic engagement comes as the conflict continues to affect regional security, with Saudi Arabia facing repeated missile and drone attacks. The kingdom intercepted another wave of projectiles on Sunday as fighting involving the Houthis continued.

Reuters reported that the Houthi attacks have emerged as an increasingly destabilising factor in the US-Israeli offensive against Iran, placing US ally Saudi Arabia under pressure amid the wider war.

Mecca Pact Members Move Towards Defence Coordination

Earlier this month, ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan held an emergency meeting in Riyadh, where they agreed to ensure the "rapid deployment" of military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia.

The three countries signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in August. Under the pact, an armed attack against any one member is considered an attack against all three.

According to the agreement's first article, the parties shall use "all necessary means" to eliminate threats to one another's territorial integrity, sovereignty or internationally recognised borders, Reuters reported, citing a text of the agreement.

However, the agreement's ratification process is at different stages in the three countries. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have completed their ratification processes, while Turkey’s parliamentary approval process remains underway, according to Pakistan’s Foreign Office.