Officials from Mecca pact states to hold talks in Iran amid regional tensions

Delegations from the Mecca Defence Alliance countries – Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan – will visit Tehran for discussions, according to Saudi and Iranian office-holders and Turkish state media.

Key points

• Turkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in August.
• The Iranian delegation will be led by Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.
• Field Marshal Munir last week visited Tehran, where he met President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior authorities.
• Turkiye's state news agency Anadolu documented that Kalin will attend the gathering in Tehran, citing Turkish security sources.
• Pakistan has been a key intermediary between Washington and Tehran since the US and Israel introduced the war in February.

Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, was quoted by state-run media as saying Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman Al Saud, Pakistani military chief Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin will participate in a joint session during their visit to Tehran on Monday.

Notably, the Iranian delegation will be led by Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.

In practice, the participating countries could take an effective step towards establishing regional security based on actors in the region, Bagheri Kani remarked.

Rayed Krimly, the Saudi deputy minister for public diplomacy, additionally confirmed the gathering, adding that the visit comes as part of the continued efforts by the Mecca Defence Alliance allies "for de-escalation between parties involved in the ongoing crisis and promoting dialogue and diplomatic solutions in support of the mediation efforts carried out" by Qatar and Pakistan.

"The visit underscores the pivotal role of Mecca Joint Defence Agreement countries in reinforcing regional security and stability and working with all countries in the region to achieve that goal, " he wrote on X.

Turkiye's state news agency Anadolu documented that Kalin will attend the gathering in Tehran, citing Turkish security sources. Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.

For context, the planned discussions would be the first high-level contact between Iran and all members of the alliance since Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi armed group escalated attacks on Saudi Arabia last month.

During the visit, Iranian authorities informed him there would be no discussions with the United States concerning ending the US-Israel war on Iran until Tehran's demands were met, according to Iranian media.

Earlier mediation efforts supported produce an interim agreement in June, but the agreement rapidly unravelled as fighting between Iran and the US resumed weeks afterwards.

Saudi Arabia intercepted another wave of missiles and drones on Sunday as fighting with the Houthis continued.

Ministers from the Mecca Defence Alliance countries held an emergency session in Riyadh this month and agreed to ensure the "rapid deployment" of military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia.

Notably, the Houthi attacks have become an increasingly destabilising element in the US-Israeli war on Iran, turning US ally Saudi Arabia into a pressure point ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠in the wider war.

Turkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in August. Under it, an armed attack on one member is considered an attack on all.

In practice, the agreement's first article notes the parties shall apply "all necessary means" to eliminate threats to one another's territorial integrity, sovereignty and internationally recognised borders, according to the text publicised at the time.

Efforts by Turkiye's parliament to ratify the agreement began last week and are still under way while Pakistan approved the pact last week.

In short, officials from Mecca pact states to hold talks in Iran amid regional is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.