KARACHI/CAIRO, Oct 26 - Senior representatives from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan met with Iranian officials in Tehran on Monday in an effort to lower tensions in the region, while Houthi forces reported additional attacks on Saudi territory and Egypt’s legislature approved military assistance for the Gulf kingdom.
Officials from the three countries - which signed the Mecca mutual defence pact in August - traveled to Iran for the first high-level contact with Tehran since the conflict expanded following strikes earlier in the year. Saudi authorities described the visit as an attempt to open negotiating channels to "prevent the return of military escalation."
Saudi Arabia was represented by Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan by army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Turkey by intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, according to statements from Saudi and Iranian officials. Iranian state media published images of President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, participating in the meetings.
At the close of the talks, state media reported an agreement to continue discussions with the aim of strengthening cooperation on matters of peace and security. The meeting's agenda reportedly included US-Iran engagement, Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, security in the Strait of Hormuz and a US blockade of Iranian ports.
Pakistan and Qatar have been active mediators in the conflict. Earlier mediation produced an interim peace agreement in June, but clashes between Iran and the United States soon resumed, and the wider war later opened a new front as the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen entered direct confrontation with Saudi Arabia.
The broader hostilities have disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, put upward pressure on global oil and gas prices and exposed Gulf states to missile and drone attacks, while precipitating a humanitarian emergency in Yemen. Tensions between Washington and Tehran have intensified in recent days, with US President Donald Trump stating on Friday that the United States may again strike Iran. Iranian security officials said Tehran had prepared detailed plans to target Gulf undersea cables should the US and Israel launch another attack.
Rezaei, Iran’s security chief, said the delegation from the three countries had demonstrated that "American threats have little impact on countries around the world," and described what he called a "new and positive atmosphere" in the region. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei had earlier indicated that the meeting - which was proposed during Munir’s visit to Tehran last week - could be an initial step toward forming regional security mechanisms.
A senior Pakistani security official said the discussions were focused on building a regional non-aggression network. Another Pakistani official said Munir, acting with what the source described as a go-ahead from Trump to pursue diplomacy, presented Iran with a proposed resolution to the conflict intended to offer concessions acceptable to both the United States and Iran, though no details of that proposal were released. The official added that the Mecca pact states and Qatar could serve as guarantors if the proposal were accepted.
An Iranian official had said prior to the meetings that Iran’s nuclear programme would not be discussed at Monday’s talks, and that that issue would remain off the table until Tehran’s stated conditions for ending the war were satisfied. Those conditions, as reported by Iranian officials, include lifting sanctions on Iranian oil exports and ending a US blockade of Iranian ports. In contrast, US Vice President JD Vance has said Iran must reduce nuclear enrichment to bring an end to the war.
Requests for comment from Pakistan’s military media office and Turkey’s Foreign Ministry had not received immediate responses.
Houthi operations and regional military responses
Saudi forces have stepped up strikes against the Houthis after the group seized strategic areas along Yemen’s Red Sea coast last month, advancing against fighters aligned with a Saudi-backed Yemeni government. The Houthis have launched strikes against Saudi airports, ports and oil infrastructure in recent weeks.
On Monday the Houthis said they had targeted pumping stations on Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline and reported an attack on Riyadh airport, which had said a day earlier that two terminals had resumed operations. There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi authorities regarding the Houthi claims.
Egypt’s parliament, which has indicated it is considering joining the Mecca pact, authorised the Egyptian military on Monday to provide defence support to Saudi Arabia, a major financial and political partner for Cairo. The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement obliges signatories to employ "all necessary means" to eliminate threats to one another’s territorial integrity, sovereignty or internationally recognised borders, according to a text seen by officials.
Earlier this month members of the pact met in Riyadh and agreed to ensure the rapid deployment of military forces and capabilities to Saudi Arabia as required. Turkey’s parliament began efforts last week to ratify the agreement and that process remains ongoing, while Pakistan approved the pact last week.
As these diplomatic and parliamentary moves unfolded, the security situation across the Gulf and Yemen remained fluid. The interplay of diplomatic outreach, military action and regional guarantees will shape near-term risks for energy transport routes, infrastructure and regional stability.
Summary of developments
- Top-level delegations from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan met Iranian leaders in Tehran on Oct 26 to seek de-escalation and agree to continue talks on peace and security cooperation.
- Yemen’s Houthi movement reported fresh attacks on Saudi infrastructure, including claims of strikes on the East-West pipeline and Riyadh airport, while Saudi strikes on Houthi positions have intensified following Houthi territorial gains on the Red Sea coast.
- Egypt’s parliament authorised the Egyptian military to assist in defending Saudi Arabia and has indicated consideration of joining the Mecca pact. The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement calls for signatories to use "all necessary means" to protect one another.