Makkah defence pact officials to visit Tehran today: Iranian state media

Makkah defence pact officials to visit Tehran today: Iranian state media

Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Tukiye will travel to Tehran on Monday, according to an Irani and a Saudi official. Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency quoted the deputy secretary of Iran’s top security body, Ali Bagheri Kani, as saying that the visit was part of efforts to implement the idea of endogenous security in West Asia. Kani also told the state TV that among the visiting dignitaries would be Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin and Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir. Saudi Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Rayed Krimly also confirmed the visit in a post on X, saying that the meetings would be held today. According to him, officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye — the three members of the Makkah Defence Alliance — would hold meetings with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and security chief Mohsen Rezaei. Krimly described the visit as “part of the continued efforts by the Makkah Defence Alliance members for de-escalation between parties involved in the ongoing crisis, and promoting dialogue and diplomatic solutions, in support of the mediation efforts carried out by Qatar and Pakistan”. “The visit underscore the pivotal role of Makkah Defence Alliance members in reinforcing regional security and stability, and working with all countries in the region to achieve that goal,” he added. The Foreign Office in Pakistan has not commented on the matter yet. The visit come as attacks by Houthis have spiralled over recent weeks and rhetoric between Washington and Tehran has grown more heated. Monday’s planned talks would be the first high-level contact between Iran and all members of the Makkah Defence Alliance since Saudi Arabia was drawn deeper into the conflict. Under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed in August, an armed attack on one member is considered an attack on all. CDF Munir had visited Iran last week as well. During the visit, Iranian leaders had conveyed that the US must take the first steps to rebuild trust, and that the acceptance of Tehran’s seven-point proposal could provide a starting point for renewed negotiations. War has engulfed the Middle East since late February when the US and Israel launched a wave of surprise attacks on Iran, just as Washington and Tehran were in the middle of negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme. An April ceasefire brought an end to the initial phase of intense bombardment but the two sides have continued to vie for control of the Strait of Hormuz, through which around a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas used to travel. Iran claims control over the strait and regularly targets vessels that attempt to cross without its authorisation, while the United States has imposed a naval counter-blockade on Iranian ports. Diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis remain stalled, especially since the collapse of a June deal which laid out a pathway to a permanent settlement. The war has since spread across the region to include fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis in Yemen.