Tehran, 26 October. Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin will hold a joint meeting with Iranian leaders in Tehran on regional security, said Ali Bagheri, deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council.
The visitors will meet Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei and, according to the Turkish side, President Masoud Pezeshkian. "This four-party meeting in Tehran could represent an important and effective step towards building lasting regional security," Bagheri told state television. The meeting was proposed during Munir's visit to Tehran last week. It is Iran's first high-level contact with all three members of the bloc since the Iran-backed Houthis began attacking Saudi Arabia.
The three countries are bound by the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, which Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan signed on 7 August 2026: an armed attack on one member is treated as an attack on all. Pakistan ratified the agreement last week, and Türkiye's parliament began ratification in October. At an emergency meeting in Riyadh earlier in October the bloc agreed on the "rapid deployment" of forces in Saudi Arabia; US President Donald Trump said at the time that Türkiye and Pakistan "want to help Saudi Arabia".
What it means: A military alliance created to defend Saudi Arabia is opening a direct conversation with Iran. The aim is to reduce the risk of a wider Gulf war while the Houthis keep striking the kingdom.
Who benefits: Saudi Arabia gains a chance to stop the strikes without widening the war. Iran gains recognition of its role in regional security and a dialogue that bypasses the US. Pakistan and Türkiye take on the role of mediators.
Background: According to the Saudi side, the talks are also meant to support mediation by Qatar and Pakistan in the conflict around Iran, which began with US and Israeli strikes on 28 February.
