TEHRAN (The Thursday Times) — Field Marshal Asim Munir, Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin are set to meet Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei in Tehran today, in the Makkah Pact countries’ first joint high-level talks with Iran.
The meeting was initiated by Pakistan during Munir’s visit to Tehran last week, a senior Iranian official told Reuters. Riyadh has also tied the visit directly to Islamabad’s diplomacy, saying it comes “in support of the mediation efforts carried out by the State of Qatar and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.”
Riyadh: de-escalation and dialogue
Saudi Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Rayed Krimly said in a post on X that Prince Khalid was leading the Kingdom’s delegation, and that the visit was part of the Makkah Pact countries’ continued efforts to de-escalate the ongoing crisis and promote dialogue and diplomatic solutions. Al Arabiya first reported the delegation’s make-up, citing a Saudi Foreign Ministry official.
Krimly said the visit underscored “the pivotal role of Makkah Joint Defense Agreement countries in reinforcing regional security and stability.”
The talks are the first high-level contact between Iran and all three members of the bloc since Saudi Arabia came under escalating attacks from Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis, Reuters reported.
Islamabad’s groundwork
The Tehran meeting builds on weeks of Pakistani shuttle diplomacy. During his visit last week, Munir, accompanied by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, met Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Rezaei. Iranian officials told him there would be no talks with Washington until Tehran’s demands were met, according to Iranian media.
Earlier mediation by Pakistan and Qatar produced an interim peace agreement in June, but the deal unravelled weeks later when fighting between Iran and the United States resumed, according to Reuters.
Tehran: talks on regional security
On the Iranian side, Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, told state broadcaster IRIB that the visiting officials would hold consultations with Rezaei “about regional security.”
The Makkah Pact
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement on August 7, under which an armed attack on one member is considered an attack on all. The agreement’s first article commits the parties to use “all necessary means” to eliminate threats to one another’s territorial integrity, sovereignty or borders, according to a text seen by Reuters.
Earlier this month, the pact’s committee agreed to activate collective deterrence measures in response to the attacks on Saudi Arabia, Prince Khalid said. Pakistan approved the agreement last week, while Türkiye’s parliament is still working to ratify it.
A week of regional diplomacy
The Tehran meeting caps a busy week. On Friday, Pakistan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Egypt held their first joint foreign ministers’ meeting with Britain, France, Germany and Italy in Istanbul, and on Wednesday, Pakistan, Türkiye, Qatar and Indonesia signed the Badr memorandum on defence industry cooperation in Doha.
