Politics
Senior officials from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye began a high-level four-way meeting with Iranian leaders in Tehran on Monday, seeking to reduce escalating military tensions in the Gulf region and restore diplomatic contacts.
Senior officials from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye began a high-level four-way meeting with Iranian leaders in Tehran on Monday, seeking to reduce escalating military tensions in the Gulf region and restore diplomatic contacts. Representatives from Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye are attending the meeting, where they are discussing regional security, the impact of U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, and efforts to revive negotiations between Iran and the United States.
According to Iranian state television, the meeting’s primary objective is to promote regional cooperation, security and stability. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry also described the visit as part of efforts to ease tensions and encourage negotiations and diplomatic solutions, saying that reopening channels for dialogue is essential to preventing renewed military confrontation in the region. The meeting marks the first high-level joint engagement between Iran and the three members of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement—Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye—since the agreement was signed in August 2026. The development comes as tensions between Iran and the United States have intensified again, while operations by Yemen’s Houthi movement against Saudi Arabia have further widened the conflict.
Pakistan is represented by Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, while Saudi Arabia’s delegation is led by Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman. Türkiye is represented by intelligence Chief Ibrahim Kalin. Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed Field Marshal Asim Munir’s official visit to Iran in a statement issued from Rawalpindi on Monday. According to Saudi and Iranian officials, meetings with officials of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council were also scheduled following high-level consultations at the four-way meeting.
Field Marshal Asim Munir had also visited Tehran last week, where he met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior officials. According to Iranian media, Iranian officials told him during that visit that negotiations with the United States would not take place until Tehran’s demands were met. A video released by Iran’s state broadcaster, IRIB, showed the opening of the meeting, with Field Marshal Asim Munir and Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi alongside Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and security officials.
Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told state television that the delegations would hold consultations with the council. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy said in a post on X that the defence minister would lead the Saudi delegation for meetings with Iranian officials in Tehran involving members of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement. According to the official, Field Marshal Asim Munir and the director of Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization would also participate.
According to Pakistani security officials, one of the meeting’s main objectives is to explore the possibility of establishing a regional non-aggression framework under which countries would refrain from military action against one another and adopt a joint mechanism for resolving disputes through diplomatic means. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that discussions would cover Israel’s expansionist policies, the situation in Palestinian territories and Lebanon, and the consequences of U.S. and Israeli military operations against Iran.
Baghaei said the proposal for the meeting emerged during Field Marshal Asim Munir’s visit to Tehran last week. He described the engagement as a possible first step towards establishing a regional collective security framework. According to a Pakistani security official, the agenda also includes Iran-U.S. negotiations, Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.
Pakistan and Qatar are playing important roles in efforts to mediate the ongoing dispute between Iran and the United States. According to Reuters, Qatari mediators were also in Tehran on Sunday, seeking to reduce tensions through diplomatic contacts. Earlier diplomatic efforts in June resulted in a temporary peace agreement. However, the arrangement did not hold after fighting between Iran and the United States resumed. Tensions subsequently increased between the Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia, opening another front in the conflict. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said the current visit was intended to support efforts to de-escalate the crisis and pursue a diplomatic solution. The ministry also described the mediation efforts of Pakistan and Qatar as important.
The Tehran meeting is taking place amid renewed tensions between Washington and Tehran. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that the United States could launch another military operation against Iran. Meanwhile, Iranian security officials told Reuters that Tehran had prepared detailed plans to target undersea communications cables in the Gulf region if the United States and Israel launched further attacks. The claim has not been independently verified.
According to Iranian media, Tehran also made clear during Field Marshal Asim Munir’s previous visit that it would not negotiate with Washington until its demands were met. These demands include an end to the U.S. blockade and the lifting of restrictions on Iranian oil exports. The ongoing conflict has disrupted energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, pushed up global oil and gas prices and exposed Gulf countries to the threat of missile and drone attacks. Continued fighting in Yemen has also raised concerns that the humanitarian crisis there could worsen.
As diplomatic activity continued in Tehran, Yemen’s Houthi movement claimed further attacks against Saudi Arabia. According to Reuters, the Houthis said on Monday that they had targeted pumping stations used to transport crude oil from eastern to western Saudi Arabia, as well as Riyadh’s airport. Riyadh’s airport had announced the resumption of operations at two terminals a day earlier. However, Saudi authorities had not immediately confirmed the latest attacks claimed by the Houthis on Monday.
Reuters reported that Saudi Arabia intensified its attacks against the Houthis last month after the group seized key locations along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and advanced against forces supporting the Saudi-backed government. The Houthis have claimed attacks targeting Saudi airports, ports and oil facilities. These operations have further highlighted concerns about Saudi Arabia’s security and the protection of regional energy supplies. Any major disruption to commercial routes through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea could have serious consequences for the global economy.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement in August 2026. According to Reuters, the agreement includes a provision allowing all necessary means to be used to address threats to the territorial integrity, sovereignty or internationally recognized borders of any member state. Earlier this month, member countries held an emergency meeting in Riyadh, where they agreed to ensure the rapid deployment of troops and defensive capabilities in Saudi Arabia. Pakistan approved the agreement last week, while the ratification process has also begun in the Turkish parliament. Iran is not a member of the agreement. However, the four-way meeting in Tehran is providing a direct opportunity to discuss regional security and de-escalation with Iranian leaders.
The Tehran meeting has gained significance as Saudi Arabia faces Houthi attacks while the risk of renewed fighting between Iran and the United States remains. Against this backdrop, the participation of senior officials from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye in talks with Iranian leaders represents an important diplomatic development. However, no details have yet emerged regarding a joint statement, ceasefire, non-aggression agreement or a final decision on resuming Iran-U.S. negotiations. The key question is whether the four-way consultations can produce a workable plan to reduce military tensions in the region, halt Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and revive negotiations between Iran and the United States.
The meeting between Iranian leaders and members of the Mecca agreement comes as the region faces the prospect of a wider war. These developments are also being linked to what the report describes as the political calculations of U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of upcoming elections. The U.S. midterm elections are scheduled for November 3, while Israel’s general election is due to take place on October 27. Before these votes, both leaders are reportedly seeking a major breakthrough in the war involving Iran.
According to Reuters, Iran is deliberately prolonging the diplomatic deadlock in an effort to weaken Trump politically before the U.S. midterm elections. However, a major reason for Tehran’s reluctance to negotiate is its concern that military action could resume even after an agreement, as well as its deep distrust of Washington. That distrust is rooted in U.S. conduct following the Islamabad peace agreement, which was reached in June through Pakistan’s mediation and diplomatic efforts. The agreement failed to hold after fighting between Iran and the United States resumed a few weeks later. The United States and Israel are now threatening further attacks on Iran, while Tehran says it is prepared to deal with any eventuality but that the door to diplomacy remains open.
