Tehran:Senior officials from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey have convened in Tehran to discuss diplomatic solutions to the ongoing conflict in Iran. This meeting aims to address shared regional security interests amid escalating tensions, as reported by Iranian state broadcaster IRIB.
According to Ghana News Agency, the talks involve high-profile figures such as Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir, Saudi Arabia's defense minister Khalid bin Salman, and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin. These officials are expected to meet with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, to explore methods of de-escalating the conflict.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry has highlighted the objective of these talks as a means to reduce tensions and find peaceful resolutions to the conflict. The discussions come amid concerns of a potential escalation involving the United States, with reports indicating that Munir had previously issued a warning to the Iranian government.
These negotiations are part of broader efforts by the member countries of the Mecca Pact, a new military alliance comprising Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, to address the situation. The alliance, alongside Egyptian officials and European foreign ministers, recently met in Istanbul to further diplomatic efforts.
Israeli Iran expert Danny Citrinowicz has described the Mecca Pact meeting as a significant development with broader implications. The Gulf states have a vested interest in preventing further military escalation due to previous damages to their infrastructure. Pakistan, reliant on energy supplies from the Gulf, is also pushing for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, which remains at a deadlock with concerns of renewed hostilities involving the US and Israel.