Regional Defense Pact: Four Nations Meet in Tehran
Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkiye, and Pakistan agreed to continue dialogue to strengthen cooperation, according to a joint statement issued after talks held on Monday.
By Maya Sokolov ·
Four nations agreed to continue high-level dialogue to strengthen regional cooperation and security on Monday, hours after the Saudi-led coalition intercepted a new wave of Houthi attacks. The meeting in Tehran marked the first direct contact between Iran and the three other countries since the conflict spread from a US and Israeli strike on Iran to include Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
The participants included Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkiye, and Pakistan. A joint statement released late on Monday stated the groups agreed to keep the dialogue open to improve cooperation among the four regional states. Iranian state media reported the details of the agreement.
Prince Khalid bin Salman, the Saudi defense minister and younger brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, represented the kingdom. Pakistan sent Field Marshal Asim Munir, its army chief, while Turkiye sent Ibrahim Kalin, its intelligence chief. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, attended the meetings in Tehran.
A senior Pakistani security official told Reuters that the agenda centered on building a regional non-aggression network. The discussion also covered negotiations between the US and Iran, Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, the Strait of Hormuz, and the US blockade of Iranian ports. Another official said Munir had presented a proposal to Iran with the blessing of US President Donald Trump, though no specific details were given. The Mecca pact states, along with Qatar, could serve as guarantors if the proposal is accepted.
Mohsen Rezaei said the visit demonstrated that American threats have little impact on countries around the world. He also described a new and positive atmosphere in the region. Esmaeil Baghaei, a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said earlier that the meeting could be a first step toward regional security arrangements. The visit was proposed when Munir visited Tehran the previous week.
Colonel Turki al-Maliki, a spokesman for the coalition, said early on Tuesday that three ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis toward Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province were intercepted without casualties. He added that four drones heading to the kingdom’s south were shot down. The coalition also reported downing three more drones over Riyadh and southern Saudi Arabia on Monday evening. The Houthis did not provide immediate comment on the strikes.
The talks occurred as tensions between Washington and Tehran intensified. Trump said on Friday that the US may strike Iran again. Mediation led by Pakistan and Qatar had created an interim peace agreement in June, but fighting resumed. The Houthis seized strategic areas along Yemen’s Red Sea coast from Saudi-backed forces last month, prompting a Saudi counteroffensive. The group has also attacked Saudi airports, ports, and oil facilities. An attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh this month killed at least 13 people and wounded more than 300.
The coalition said it launched retaliatory attacks that destroyed five tunnels used to store ballistic missiles, four missile launchers, and a missile depot. The wider war has restricted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and increased oil and petrol prices. Egypt’s Parliament authorized its military on Monday to help defend Saudi Arabia.
Source: Al Jazeera
