Iran Says "Very Good Discussions" Held With Mecca Pact Countries

Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan gathered in Tehran on Monday to discuss measures to prevent the Middle East conflict from flaring up again. The meeting, which included Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, aimed to de-escalate tensions between the parties involved in the ongoing crisis, according to a Saudi foreign ministry statement.

This was the first joint visit to Tehran by the three nations since they established a defense alliance in Mecca, Saudi Arabia's holy city, in August. The delegations met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and his Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi. However, the talks did not result in any concrete agreements, with representatives stating that they "agreed to continue discussions," according to Iranian state media.

The talks took place amid rising regional tensions as Israel prepares for its crucial elections on Tuesday and the US midterms next week. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized the importance of preventing any escalation in the Middle East, warning of the risks associated with a military attack on Iran by either the United States or Iran.

Prince Khalid, along with Pakistan's powerful army chief General Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, were set to meet Iran's security chief, Mohsen Rezaei. Saudi security analyst Hesham Alghannam stated that this historic meeting in Tehran could potentially be the last chance to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control before it becomes too late.

Egypt's parliament had recently approved President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi's request to provide defensive military support to Saudi Arabia if required, as the country faced weeks of attacks from the Iran-backed Houthis. US-Iran mediation efforts were led by Qatar and Pakistan, with Qatar sending a delegation to Tehran on Sunday. Prince Khalid's participation in the talks was deemed "hugely significant" by US-Iran mediation expert Andreas Krieg, highlighting his role as the "strategic mastermind of Saudi Arabia" and a key diplomatic interlocutor for the kingdom.