Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani delegations head to Tehran for war de-escalation talks

Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan will meet Iranian counterparts in Tehran on Monday in the first high-level joint contact between Iran and all members of the Mecca Defence Alliance since Yemen's Houthi armed group escalated attacks on Saudi Arabia last month.

Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman Al Saud, Pakistani military chief Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin will participate in a joint meeting, according to Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council. The Iranian delegation will be led by Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.

Saudi deputy minister for public diplomacy Rayed Krimly confirmed the visit, saying it supports mediation efforts carried out by Qatar and Pakistan and forms part of continued de-escalation work by Mecca Defence Alliance allies.

The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed by Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan in August, treats an armed attack on one member as an attack on all and obliges parties to use all necessary means to eliminate threats to one another's territorial integrity.

Saudi Arabia intercepted another wave of missiles and drones on Sunday as fighting with the Houthis continued. Ministers from the three alliance countries held an emergency meeting in Riyadh this month and agreed to ensure the rapid deployment of military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan has acted as a key intermediary between Washington and Tehran since the US and Israel launched military operations in the region in February. An interim agreement reached in June quickly unravelled as fighting resumed weeks later.