A meeting is expected in Tehran between officials from the Mecca Agreement countries and Iranian officials

Senior officials from the signatories of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, namely Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, are scheduled to hold a meeting with senior Iranian officials in Tehran on Monday, according to BBC News Arabi. The meeting marks the first high-level engagement between the two sides since Saudi Arabia became a pressure point in the wider conflict in the region.

Deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Bagheri announced to state television that Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman would participate in the meeting. Along with Pakistani army chief Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, Iran will be represented by council secretary Mohsen Rezaei. The quadripartite meeting could be an important step in building sustainable regional security, Bagheri said.

For his part, the Saudi Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Public Diplomacy, Raed Karimli, confirmed in a post on the X platform that the Minister of Defense will go to Tehran at the head of a delegation. He explained that the visit comes as part of the efforts of the countries of the agreement to reduce the escalation between the parties to the current crisis. and encourage dialogue and diplomatic solutions.

The moves come against the backdrop of a war that broke out in the Middle East on February 28, with strikes by Israel and the United States against the Islamic Republic. A ceasefire that took effect on April 8 ended the most intense phase of the fighting, with the exception of a sporadic exchange of attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, while the United States continues to impose a naval blockade on Iranian ports.

Qatari mediators met Iranian officials in Tehran on Sunday, Reuters reported. A senior Iranian official said that the meeting came at the initiative of Pakistan during Mounir's visit to Tehran, where Iranian officials told their country that there will be no talks with Washington unless its demands are met, according to Iranian media.

Source: BBC News Arabic - https://www.bbc.com/arabic/articles/c3x2w09wedddo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss