Mecca Pact leaders head to Tehran as regional powers seek to manage the consequences of war
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Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir and Turkey's intelligence chief will meet Iranian officials in Tehran on Monday to discuss cooperation among the Mecca Pact members amid deepening regional instability.
Top officials from the Mecca Pact countries Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan are scheduled to hold talks with Iranian officials in Tehran on Monday, sources familiar with the plans said. Saudi Arabia will be represented by Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan by army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Turkey by its head of intelligence.
The meeting will be the first high-level contact between Iran and all three pact members since Saudi Arabia faced a series of missile and drone attacks attributed to Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement. Pakistan's military media wing, Saudi Arabia's government media office and Turkey's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
During a recent visit to Tehran, Munir met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and senior officials, who reportedly said Iran would not engage in talks with Washington until its demands were satisfied, according to Iranian media. The Mecca Pact, formalised by a joint defence agreement signed in August, obliges members to treat an armed attack on one as an attack on all and to use "all necessary means" to protect each other's territorial integrity.
Turkey's parliament has begun the ratification process for the agreement, while Pakistan approved it last week. The pact's members previously held an emergency meeting in Riyadh, agreeing to rapid deployment of military forces in Saudi Arabia amid the ongoing conflict that has heightened regional tensions.