As tensions simmer in the Middle East, top defence officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan on Monday reportedly met Iran's supreme national security council's secretary Mohsen Rezaei in Tehran. The leaders of the Mecca Pact discussed the regional situation amid escalating tensions.
The leaders who met the Iranian official include Saudi's defence minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin and Pakistan's Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. Rezaei was accompanied by foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, according Iran's state-run Press TV.
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The meeting comes amid intensified fighting between Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi.
What Iran said on meeting agenda
"The talks will focus on regional security, the fallout from military aggression, and support for Palestine and Lebanon," the channel said.
The war in Yemen and strikes by Iran-backed Houthi rebels against Saudi Arabia were also topics of the talks, Associated Press reported, citing two regional officials who wished to remain anonymous.
{{/usCountry}}The war in Yemen and strikes by Iran-backed Houthi rebels against Saudi Arabia were also topics of the talks, Associated Press reported, citing two regional officials who wished to remain anonymous.
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Earlier, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei reportedly said that there was no specific agenda for the meeting, but talks would “undoubtedly address the most pressing threats to regional security.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said during the talks Monday that Iran supports any agreement that would deepen regional cooperation, resolve differences and make greater use of the shared resources and capabilities of Islamic countries.
Renewed Iran-US tensions
The meeting also comes amid renewed uncertainty over Iran-US tensions as President Donald Trump said a decision is approaching on whether to reach an agreement with Tehran or resume attacks.
“I have a decision to make: Do I finish it off, which would be very easy to do, or do I make a deal? That’s all,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News’ *Sunday Morning Futures*. “We don’t play games.”
Meanwhile, Qatari mediators arrived in Tehran on Sunday as efforts continued to ease regional tensions in coordination with the United States, Reuters reported. However, Iran has indicated that negotiations with Washington cannot move forward unless its previously stated conditions are accepted.
With inputs from agencies