Mecca Pact Ministers to Meet Iranian Officials in Tehran on Monday
Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir and Turkey’s intelligence chief will hold talks with Iranian officials to discuss regional security coordination.
Top officials from the Mecca Pact countries Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan are scheduled to meet Iranian officials in Tehran on Monday for discussions on regional coordination, two 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, Ibrahim Kalin, according to the sources.
Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told state television that the three officials would consult with Iran’s security council on regional security matters. The Saudi government media office, Pakistan’s military media wing and Turkey’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The meeting would be the first high-level contact between Iran and all members of the three-nation bloc since Saudi Arabia faced escalating attacks from Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi forces. Munir visited Tehran last week and met President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior officials, during which Iranian officials indicated that talks with Washington would not resume until Tehran’s demands were met.
The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed by the three countries in August, obliges each member to consider an armed attack on any one of them as an attack on all and to use “all necessary means” to counter threats to their territorial integrity. Turkey’s parliament has begun the ratification process, while Pakistan approved the pact last week.
The meeting follows an emergency gathering of Mecca Pact ministers in Riyadh earlier this month, where they agreed to ensure rapid deployment of military forces in Saudi Arabia amid ongoing Houthi missile and drone attacks.