Diplomatic efforts to contain the Middle East war gathered pace in Tehran on Monday, with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey sending senior representatives to meet Iranian officials. The discussions came amid fresh claims of Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia and a decision by Egypt to authorise military assistance to Riyadh.
The meeting took place against the backdrop of a conflict that has spread beyond Iran and the United States to involve Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Regional governments are now seeking a way to prevent further fighting, even as military threats continue on several fronts.
Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Pakistani army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Turkey’s intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin represented their respective countries at the talks. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and senior security official Mohsen Rezaei were also present, Iranian state media reported.
It was the first meeting at this level between Iran and the three countries since they signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in August. Saudi Arabia said the visit was aimed at creating channels for negotiations and avoiding a renewed escalation.
Following the discussions, the four countries agreed to maintain contact on regional peace and security, according to Iranian state media.
Pakistan has emerged as a key player in attempts to bring Washington and Tehran back to the negotiating table, alongside Qatar. An interim agreement reached in June failed to prevent fighting from restarting, and the conflict subsequently expanded to include clashes between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement.
A Pakistani security official told Reuters that Monday’s meeting addressed the possibility of a regional non-aggression arrangement. Officials also discussed the prospects of renewed US-Iran negotiations, attacks on Saudi Arabia, the disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the American blockade of Iranian ports.
Another Pakistani official said Munir had conveyed a proposal intended to provide a way forward for both Iran and the United States. No details of the proposal were made public. The official said the countries that signed the Mecca pact, along with Qatar, could guarantee an agreement if the parties accepted it.
Iran, however, has set conditions for any further negotiations. An Iranian official said Tehran would not discuss its nuclear programme at Monday’s meeting. According to the official, talks on the issue would have to wait until Iran’s demands for ending the war were addressed.
These demands include lifting the US blockade of Iranian ports and removing restrictions on Iranian oil exports. Washington has taken a different position, with US Vice President JD Vance saying Iran must reduce its nuclear enrichment activities to end the conflict.
Iranian security official Rezaei described the meeting as evidence of a more favourable atmosphere in the region and said US threats had little effect on countries pursuing their own course.
The conflict has placed the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important routes for energy shipments, under severe pressure. Disruptions to maritime traffic have contributed to higher oil and gas prices, while missile and drone attacks have raised security concerns across the Gulf.
Iranian officials have also warned of possible retaliation if the United States and Israel resume their strikes. Tehran has drawn up plans to target undersea cables in the Gulf in the event of another military campaign, Iranian security officials told Reuters.
The fighting has had consequences beyond the immediate confrontation. Earlier in the year, the war also coincided with renewed hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. In Yemen, fuel shortages and the growing humanitarian emergency have placed hospitals and vulnerable communities under further strain.
The conflict has also become a political challenge for US President Donald Trump ahead of November’s midterm elections, when voters will decide control of Congress. Trump said on Friday that the United States could carry out another military operation against Iran.
While diplomatic efforts continued in Tehran, the Houthis claimed responsibility for attacks on Saudi infrastructure. On Monday, the group said it had targeted pumping stations along the kingdom’s East-West oil pipeline and Riyadh airport. Saudi Arabia had not publicly confirmed the claims at the time of reporting.
The airport had announced the reopening of two terminals a day earlier, following a Houthi warning against using the facility.
The latest claims follow an escalation in fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces in Yemen. Saudi Arabia has increased its strikes against the group since it seized strategic positions along Yemen’s Red Sea coast last month. The Houthis, in turn, have targeted Saudi airports, ports and oil facilities.
Egypt’s parliament on Monday authorised the country’s military to provide defence support to Saudi Arabia. Cairo, a major financial and political partner of Riyadh, has also considered joining the Mecca defence arrangement.
Under the agreement, member states commit to using all necessary means to counter threats to one another’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and internationally recognised borders. An emergency meeting in Riyadh earlier this month resulted in an agreement to facilitate the rapid deployment of military personnel and capabilities in Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan approved the agreement last week. Turkey’s parliamentary process to ratify it began during the same period and remains ongoing.
The diplomatic initiative now faces the challenge of reconciling Tehran’s demands with Washington’s conditions while addressing the growing confrontation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis. Monday’s meeting established a channel for further discussions, but no detailed settlement or concrete agreement to end the fighting was announced.
This article was prepared with AI assistance and is based on information available in the public domain.
