Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan Agree with Iran in Tehran to Keep Talks Going
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan and Iran agreed on Monday to continue their dialogue after talks in Tehran. Iranian state media reported, via Reuters, that at the conclusion of the meetings the four states agreed to continue talks with a view to strengthening cooperation, especially in peace and security. Tehran described the discussions as "very good". No settlement was announced.
Saudi Arabia was represented by Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan by army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Turkey by intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin. On the Iranian side, President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi took part, and the meeting was hosted by Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.
The talks were the first high-level contact between Iran and the three signatories of the Mecca mutual defence pact since a war that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran also spread to Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry said the visit was intended to open negotiating channels to "prevent the return of military escalation". Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail 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."
Baghaei said the nations would also discuss preparations for a new regional security framework, Israel's expansionist policies, developments in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon, and the repercussions of US and Israeli military action against Iran.
President Pezeshkian told the meeting: "Iran is ready to deepen regional cooperation, resolve disagreements, and harness the collective potential of Islamic nations. It supports any understanding that contributes to strengthening unity, cohesion, security, and development in the region." He added that the countries of the region must stand together in the face of the threats directed against them.
The three visiting countries signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in August, under which an armed attack on one signatory is treated as an attack on all. Pakistan ratified the pact last week; Turkey's ratification is still before its parliament.
On the same day, Monday, Yemen's Houthi movement said it had attacked Saudi oil pumping stations and Riyadh's airport again. There was no immediate Saudi confirmation of those claims.
Also on Monday, Egypt, which is not a signatory to the pact, authorized its military to help defend Saudi Arabia if Riyadh requests it.
Mediation efforts were under way the day before as well. An official told Reuters that Qatari mediators were in Tehran on Sunday. Pakistan and Qatar have led mediation efforts in the war. Earlier efforts helped produce an interim peace agreement in June, but fighting between Iran and the United States soon resumed. Conflict then flared between the Iran-aligned Houthis and US ally Saudi Arabia, opening a new front.
The nuclear programme, the most critical issue for the United States and Israel, was not discussed, an Iranian official told Reuters, because Tehran wants to discuss it only once its demands for ending the war are met. Those demands include the lifting of the US naval blockade on Iran and the oil export sanctions.
