TEHRAN (The Thursday Times) — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called for regional unity on Monday as he hosted the first joint meeting between Iran and the three Makkah Pact countries, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, and the four sides agreed to keep talking, according to Iranian state television.
Pezeshkian said he hoped the presence of “important and influential Islamic countries” would consolidate “regional unity and cohesion”, according to his official website, and urged Islamic countries to “stand together and adopt a coordinated position.”
Who was at the table
Field Marshal Asim Munir, Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff, led Pakistan’s side with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, and the Inter-Services Public Relations confirmed his visit. Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin headed their countries’ delegations, while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei sat with Pezeshkian on the Iranian side. As The Thursday Times reported earlier, the talks got under way on Monday afternoon.
“Endogenous security”
State broadcaster IRIB said the talks covered regional cooperation and “the US-Israeli aggression against Iran and its consequences”. Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, told IRNA the visit was part of efforts to build “endogenous security” in West Asia, adding that regional security “will not be ensured except by relying on” the security considerations of the region’s own countries.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said the meeting would take up the “most pressing issues threatening our region”, with the consequences of the US-Israeli aggression against Iran at the top of the agenda.
Riyadh backs Pakistani and Qatari mediation
Saudi Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Rayed Krimly described the visit as “part of the continued efforts by the Makkah Defence Alliance members for de-escalation”, in support of the mediation led by Qatar and Pakistan.
Munir was in Tehran last week, when Iranian officials said the United States must take the first steps to rebuild trust and that Tehran’s seven-point proposal could serve as a starting point for talks.
What comes next
Iranian state television said the four countries agreed to continue their discussions, including on regional peace and security, after what it called their “first” meeting. No joint statement had been released by Monday evening.
The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, signed in August, treats an armed attack on any member as an attack on all. Diplomacy between Tehran and Washington has stalled since a June deal collapsed, while Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia have escalated.
