Daijiworld Media Network - Tehran
Tehran, Oct 27: Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan met Iranian leaders in Tehran on Monday in an effort to de-escalate the Middle East conflict, as Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed fresh attacks on Saudi Arabia and Egypt approved military support for the Gulf kingdom.
The meeting marked the first high-level contact between Iran and the three countries since the war, which began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran, spread to Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The four countries signed the Mecca mutual defence pact in August.
Saudi Arabia said the visit aimed to open negotiating channels to “prevent the return of military escalation”. The Saudi delegation was led by Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, while Pakistan was represented by Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Turkey by intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohsen Rezaei attended the discussions. Iranian state media reported that the four countries agreed to continue talks to strengthen regional peace and security.
Pakistan and Qatar have led mediation efforts during the conflict. Earlier negotiations helped secure an interim peace agreement in June, but fighting between Iran and the United States subsequently resumed. Clashes between the Iran-aligned Houthis and Saudi Arabia later opened another front in the conflict.
The wider fighting has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, pushed up global oil and gas prices and exposed Gulf states to missile and drone attacks. Yemen has also faced a worsening humanitarian crisis.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have intensified, with US President Donald Trump recently warning that Washington could launch another military operation against Iran. Iranian security officials have also warned of possible attacks on undersea cables in the Gulf if the United States and Israel resume strikes.
Rezaei said the visit by the three countries demonstrated that American threats had little impact on countries around the world. He described the discussions as reflecting a “new and positive atmosphere” in the region.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the meeting, proposed during Munir’s visit to Tehran last week, could be an initial step towards establishing regional security mechanisms.
A senior Pakistani security official said the discussions focused on creating a regional non-aggression network. The agenda also included possible US-Iran negotiations, Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, the Strait of Hormuz and the US blockade of Iranian ports.
Another Pakistani official said Munir had presented Iran with a proposed solution intended to address the concerns of both Washington and Tehran, following diplomatic approval from Trump. The official did not disclose details of the proposal.
The official added that countries covered by the Mecca pact, along with Qatar, could act as guarantors if the proposal was accepted.
Iran has maintained that its nuclear programme would not be discussed until its demands for ending the war were met. These include lifting the US blockade of Iranian ports and sanctions on Iranian oil exports. US Vice President JD Vance has said Iran must reduce its nuclear enrichment activities to end the conflict.
Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthis claimed on Monday that they had attacked pumping stations along Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline and Riyadh airport. Saudi Arabia had not immediately confirmed the reported attacks. The airport said it had resumed operations at two terminals a day earlier.
Saudi Arabia has intensified strikes against the Houthis since they captured strategic areas along Yemen’s Red Sea coast last month, advancing against Saudi-backed government forces. The Houthis have also targeted Saudi airports, ports and oil facilities.
In a separate development, Egypt’s parliament authorised the country’s military to support the defence of Saudi Arabia, a key financial and political partner of Cairo. Egypt has also been considering joining the Mecca mutual defence pact.
The agreement requires signatories to use all necessary means to counter threats to one another’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and internationally recognised borders.
Members of the pact held an emergency meeting in Riyadh earlier this month and agreed to ensure the rapid deployment of military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia. Pakistan approved the agreement last week, while Turkey’s parliamentary ratification process is under way.