Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence head Ibrahim Kalin convened with Iranian officials in Tehran on Monday to discuss the establishment of a new regional security arrangement. The talks, which included meetings with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei, focused on regional coordination and the current conflicts in Lebanon, Palestine and Israel.
Requested by Pakistan, the meeting marks the first high-level contact between Iran and the members of the Mecca Pact since Iran-aligned Houthi rebels escalated missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia. The Mecca Pact, signed in August by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, stipulates that an attack on one member is an attack on all. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei described the summit as a potential first step toward an “indigenous security” framework led by regional powers without reliance on the U.S. or Israel.