Senior officials from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye are expected in Tehran for regional security discussions as Houthi attacks and the wider Middle East conflict intensify.
TEHRAN: Senior officials from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye are expected to visit Tehran on Monday for talks on regional security and coordination with Iranian officials, according to Iran’s deputy security official Ali Bagheri Kani.
The delegation is expected to include Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and Turkiye’s intelligence chief, Ibrahim Kalin, Bagheri Kani told Iranian state television.
Two people familiar with the matter also confirmed to Reuters that senior officials from the three countries, which signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, were scheduled to meet Iranian officials in the Iranian capital on Monday.
The Saudi government media office, Pakistan’s military media wing and Turkiye’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
First high-level contact amid escalating regional tensions
The planned meeting would mark the first high-level contact between Iran and all three countries since Saudi Arabia came under escalating attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement, Reuters reported.
Munir visited Tehran last week, meeting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior officials. Iranian officials told him during the visit that Tehran would not hold talks with Washington until its demands were met, according to Iranian media.
Pakistan has played an intermediary role between the United States and Iran, with earlier mediation efforts helping produce an interim peace agreement in June. However, the agreement quickly unravelled as fighting between Iran and the United States resumed weeks later.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia intercepted another wave of missiles and drones on Sunday as fighting involving the Houthis continued, according to the supplied report.
The planned Tehran talks come as regional tensions persist amid the US-Israeli offensive against Iran, with Houthi attacks adding to pressure on Saudi Arabia, a US ally, Reuters reported.
Makkah defence agreement in focus
The meeting is expected to draw attention to regional security cooperation under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement signed by Turkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in August.
Earlier this month, ministers from the three countries held an emergency meeting in Riyadh, agreeing to ensure the “rapid deployment” of military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia.
Under the agreement, an armed attack on one member is considered an attack on all. Its first article states that the parties will use “all necessary means” to eliminate threats to one another’s territorial integrity, sovereignty or internationally recognised borders, according to a text seen by Reuters.
Turkiye’s parliament began efforts to ratify the agreement last week, and the process remains ongoing. Pakistan approved the pact last week.
The expected visit to Tehran comes as the three countries pursue defence coordination while regional hostilities continue. The outcome of the planned discussions has not been disclosed.
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