Senior Saudi, Pakistani, and Turkish Officials Hold Talks With Iranian Leaders in Tehran

Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey, the three countries that form the new Mecca defense pact, visited Tehran on Monday and met with Iranian officials amid threats of another US-Israeli attack on Iran. The meeting was seen as an effort to avoid another escalation in the US war against Iran, and the Saudi Foreign Ministry described it as an effort to “de-escalate between the parties to the current crisis.” The delegation included Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin.

The visiting officials met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Mohsen Rezaei, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. From left to right: Kalin, Salman, Rezaei, and Munir pose for a photo before the meeting (PressTV) A brief joint statement issued by the four countries said that the “participants agreed to continue the dialogue to strengthen cooperation amongst the four regional countries, including for peace and security in the region.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said that the meeting could lay the groundwork for a new regional security framework that doesn’t rely on outside powers. “From our perspective, the fact that regional countries are seeking to establish, or at least consider, regional security mechanisms based on their own interests and concerns is a welcome development,” Baghaei told reporters . “We have consistently emphasized that regional security can only be ensured by relying on the will and security considerations of the countries of the region.”

The meeting came amid Saudi Arabia’s renewed war against Yemen’s Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, an ally of Iran. Araghchi said last week that Iran had offered to mediate between Saudi Arabia and Ansar Allah but that neither side responded to the proposal. Both Pakistan and Turkey have pledged to come to Saudi Arabia’s aid in the war under the Mecca agreement, though it doesn’t appear that the support will go beyond helping fend off Ansar Allah’s strikes on Saudi territory.

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