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Senior officials from Mecca pact members Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are set to meet Iranian leaders in Tehran for talks on regional security, Iranian and Saudi officials said Monday, in the bloc's first high-level contact with Iran since the kingdom was drawn deeper into the regional war.
Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and Pakistani army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir are expected to meet Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, as Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia escalate and U.S.-Iran tensions rise.
"As agreed, Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, Pakistani army chief General Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin will participate in this meeting," Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of the council, told Iranian state television.
"This four-party meeting in Tehran could represent an important and effective step towards building lasting regional security, and we hope this initiative will contribute to establishing a stable region," he said.
Reuters reported the meeting is set for Monday, while Bagheri Kani did not specify a date.
Saudi Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Rayed Krimly said the meeting is part of the Mecca pact countries’ efforts to de-escalate the crisis, promote diplomatic solutions and support mediation led by Qatar and Pakistan.
"The visit also underscores the pivotal role of the Mecca Pact states in fostering regional security and stability, and their commitment to working with all nations in the region toward achieving this goal," Krimly wrote on X.
Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement on Aug. 7. Under the pact, an armed attack on one member is considered an attack on all.
Qatari mediators met Iranian officials in Tehran on Sunday in a push to de-escalate tensions.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters the meeting was initiated by Pakistan during Munir’s visit to Tehran last week, when he met President Masoud Pezeshkian and other officials.
Bagheri Kani said Munir informed Rezaei of the decision by senior Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani officials to travel to Tehran, meet him and hold a joint meeting, the official IRNA news agency reported.
During Munir’s visit, Iranian officials told him there would be no talks with Washington until Tehran’s demands were met, according to Iranian media.
Pezeshkian told Al Jazeera earlier this month that Iran is ready to join the Mecca alliance, though Tehran does not yet know its details. "We are ready to take part in this process," he said.
Bagheri Kani said the visit falls under Iran’s idea of "endogenous" security in West Asia, ensured by regional countries without foreign interference.
He said all three countries, together with Iran, could take an effective step toward regional security with the participation of regional actors, drawing on what he called Iran’s successful experience. He said Iran opposes the interference and influence of outside powers, led by the United States and Israel.
The war began in February when the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran.
Washington and Tehran have both drawn up plans to restart wider fighting, possibly after the Nov. 3 U.S. midterm elections.
Earlier mediation by Pakistan and Qatar produced an interim peace agreement in June, but it quickly unraveled as fighting resumed weeks later. The conflict has since spread to fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
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