Delegations meet in Iran with Mideast on edge over potential for renewed fighting
CAIRO -- High-level delegations from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey were in Tehran on Monday for meetings with Iranian authorities to try to avert renewed fighting between Iran and Israel and the United States, two regional officials said. The talks come as many in Iran are girding themselves for the possible return to a return to all-out war, as Israeli and American leaders have been sharpening their threats ahead of pending elections in both countries , while Iranian leaders have remained defiant.
Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Ibrahim Kalin, the head of Turkey’s intelligence service, were to meet with Iran’s top security officials and negotiators to push for a deal between Tehran and Washington. The war in Yemen and strikes by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels against Saudi Arabia were topics also on the table, said the officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.
An Iranian official, also speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters, confirmed the arrival of the officials. Saudi Arabia said in a statement that the delegations hoped to find “ways to de-escalate tensions, enhance regional security and promote its stability.” Qatari mediators were in Tehran on Sunday, working in coordination with the U.S., as part of ongoing efforts to de-escalate regional tensions, according to a regional official speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks.
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The article gives the purpose of the meeting only through anonymous regional officials and the Saudi statement: pushing for a deal between Tehran and Washington. It never reports Iran's account. Baghaei said the meeting was a Pakistan-proposed initiative towards a region-led security framework that had to address the consequences of US military aggression. A senior Iranian official said Iran would hold no nuclear talks with the visitors until the US met its conditions. Without this, a reader believes the visit was simply a mediation push towards Washington that Tehran accepted on those terms.
How we know
- Press TV reported“could lay the groundwork for a regional security framework based on the interests and decisions of countries in the region”Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia could advance region-led security framework in Tehran: FM spox (opens in a new tab)
- Press TV reported“Iran would hold no nuclear discussions with the three officials until the United States meets Tehran’s conditions for a permanent end to the war”Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia hold security meeting in Tehran (opens in a new tab)
- Press TV reported“the consequences of US-Israeli military aggression and support for the Palestinians and Lebanese among the main topics of discussion”Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia hold security meeting in Tehran (opens in a new tab)
Pakistan and Qatar helped broker an agreement in June aimed at having Iran fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping, ending a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and opening negotiations on a broader settlement addressing Iran’s nuclear program. The deal unraveled quickly, however, as both sides renewed attacks. With worries about renewed fighting ahead of Israel's election on Tuesday and the Nov. 3 midterm elections in the U.S., Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, on the weekend said Tehran had not closed the window of diplomacy and that messages were being passed to the U.S. via intermediaries.
With negotiations long stalled, Baghaei said that the U.S. appears to be persisting in unilateral demands and that Trump and U.S. officials repeatedly use the phrase “complete surrender,” which Baghaei said no Iranian accepts. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , meantime, repeated his warning on Sunday that Iran or its proxies could attack ahead of the close elections to disrupt the vote, citing intelligence. Popular Reads Amy Acton says Trump, Vance should 'look at the facts' after Ramaswamy attack ad 13 hours ago 12 injured, including 6 children, in shooting near Florida university, police say 15 hours ago Airman killed rappelling from Alamodome's ceiling in Salute to Armed Forces ceremony Oct 19 “The (military) is ready both to defend and to strike,” he said in a video statement, adding: “You will suffer disproportionate blows far greater than you can imagine.”
Israel’s Channel 12 reported Sunday night that Netanyahu and his military chief of staff clashed over an instruction by Netanyahu to carry out an “action” that the army believes could quickly trigger a resumption of the conflict with Iran. Netanyahu described the Channel 12 report as nonsense during an appearance on another broadcaster, Channel 14. There was no immediate military comment. Yemen has become a widening front in the Iran war that began in February, with the Houthis increasingly launching attacks on Saudi Arabia because it supports Yemen’s internationally recognized government battling the rebels.
The conflict has intensified since forces from the internationally recognized government and Saudi-led coalition launched airstrikes on Houthi-held Sanaa International Airport in July, shattering a 2022 ceasefire deal that largely stopped the fighting in the country’s civil war. Early Monday, the Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the rebel group had fired ballistic missiles at military gatherings and weapons depots belonging to Saudi-backed government forces in Aden and Lahj provinces.
He claimed the attacks caused the loss of military equipment and personnel but did not provide evidence of the strikes. The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify the claims. ___ Associated Press journalists Victoria Eastwood and Fatma Khaled in Cairo, Natalie Melzer in Tel Aviv, Israel, Munir Ahmed in Islamabad and David Rising in Bangkok contributed to this story.
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