Officials from Mecca pact states to hold talks in Iran amid regional tensions

Planned talks to be first high-level contact between Iran and the bloc since Houthi rebels escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Leaders and representatives meet in Istanbul, Turkiye, for the first committee meeting of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on August 31, 2026 [Murad Sezer/Reuters]

Delegations from the Mecca Defence Alliance countries – Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan – will visit Tehran for talks, according to Saudi and Iranian officials.

Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, was quoted by state-run media as saying Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman Al Saud, Pakistani military chief Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin will participate in a joint meeting during their visit to Tehran on Monday.

list 1 of 4 Houthis launch attacks on Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Aden

list 2 of 4 Saudi Arabia intercepts missiles and drones as fighting with Houthis rages

list 3 of 4 Saudi air defences intercept Houthi barrage near Mecca

list 4 of 4 Turkiye moves to ratify Mecca defence pact with Pakistan, Saudi Arabia

The Iranian delegation will be led by Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.

The participating countries could take an effective step towards establishing regional security based on actors in the region, Bagheri Kani said.

Rayed Krimly, the Saudi deputy minister for public diplomacy, also confirmed the meeting, adding that the visit comes as part of the continued efforts by the Mecca Defence Alliance allies “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 underscores the pivotal role of Mecca Joint Defence Agreement countries in reinforcing regional security and stability and working with all countries in the region to achieve that goal,” he wrote on X.

Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia

The planned talks would be the first high-level contact between Iran and all members of the alliance since Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi armed group escalated attacks on Saudi Arabia last month.

Field Marshal Munir last week visited Tehran, where he met President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior officials.

During the visit, Iranian officials told him there would be no talks with the United States about ending the US-Israel war on Iran until Tehran’s demands were met, according to Iranian media.

Pakistan has been a key intermediary between Washington and Tehran since the US and Israel launched the war in February.

Earlier mediation efforts helped produce an interim agreement in June, but the deal quickly unravelled as fighting between Iran and the US resumed weeks later.

Saudi Arabia intercepted another wave of missiles and drones on Sunday as fighting with the Houthis continued.

Ministers from the Mecca Defence Alliance countries held an emergency meeting in Riyadh this month and agreed to ensure the “rapid deployment” of military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia.

The Houthi attacks have become an increasingly destabilising element in the US-Israeli war on Iran, turning US ally Saudi Arabia into a pressure point ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠in the wider war.

Turkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in August. Under it, an armed attack on one member is considered an attack on all.

The agreement’s first article says the parties shall use “all necessary means” to eliminate threats to one another’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and internationally recognised borders, according to the text publicised at the time.

Efforts by Turkiye’s parliament to ratify the agreement began last week and are still under way while Pakistan approved the pact last week.

计划中的会谈将是自胡塞武装升级对沙特阿拉伯的袭击以来，伊朗与该集团之间的首次高级别接触。

2026年8月31日，各国领导人和代表在土耳其伊斯坦布尔举行《麦加联合防御协议》第一次委员会会议。[Murad Sezer/路透社]

据沙特和伊朗官员称，来自麦加防务联盟国家——沙特阿拉伯、土耳其和巴基斯坦的代表团将访问德黑兰进行会谈。

据伊朗官方媒体报道，伊朗最高国家安全委员会副秘书长阿里·巴盖里·卡尼表示，沙特国防部长哈立德·本·萨勒曼·阿勒沙特、巴基斯坦军事参谋长阿西姆·穆尼尔和土耳其情报局长易卜拉欣·卡林将于周一访问德黑兰期间举行联合会议。

胡塞武装袭击沙特阿拉伯和也门亚丁（共4条记录，此为第1条）

（共4条，此为第2条）沙特阿拉伯拦截导弹和无人机，与胡塞武装的战斗仍在继续

沙特防空部队在麦加附近拦截胡塞武装炮火的3/4

土耳其批准与巴基斯坦、沙特阿拉伯签署的麦加防务条约的四项举措之四

伊朗代表团将由最高国家安全委员会秘书穆赫辛·雷扎伊率领。

巴格里·卡尼表示，参与国可以采取有效措施，在区域内各方力量的基础上建立区域安全。

沙特阿拉伯公共外交部副部长雷耶德·克里姆利也证实了此次会晤，并补充说，此次访问是麦加防务联盟盟国持续努力的一部分，“旨在缓和当前危机各方之间的紧张局势，并促进对话和外交解决方案，以支持卡塔尔和巴基斯坦开展的调解努力”。

“此次访问凸显了《麦加联合防御协定》国家在加强区域安全与稳定方面发挥的关键作用，以及它们与该地区所有国家共同努力实现这一目标的决心，”他在X上写道。

胡塞武装袭击沙特阿拉伯

此次计划中的会谈将是自也门胡塞武装（与伊朗结盟）上个月升级对沙特阿拉伯的袭击以来，伊朗与该联盟所有成员国之间的首次高级别接触。

上周，穆尼尔元帅访问了德黑兰，会见了总统马苏德·佩泽什基安和其他高级官员。

据伊朗媒体报道，访问期间，伊朗官员告诉他，在德黑兰的要求得到满足之前，不会与美国就结束美以对伊战争进行任何谈判。

自美国和以色列于2月份发动战争以来，巴基斯坦一直是华盛顿和德黑兰之间的重要中间人。

早前的调解努力促成了6月份的一项临时协议，但几周后伊朗和美国之间的战斗再次爆发，该协议很快破裂。

周日，沙特阿拉伯拦截了另一波导弹和无人机，与胡塞武装的战斗仍在继续。

本月，麦加防务联盟各国部长在利雅得举行紧急会议，并同意确保沙特阿拉伯“快速部署”军事力量和能力。

胡塞武装的袭击已成为美以对伊朗战争中日益不稳定的因素，使美国的盟友沙特阿拉伯成为这场更广泛战争中的一个压力点。

土耳其、巴基斯坦和沙特阿拉伯于8月签署了《麦加联合防御协定》。根据该协定，对任何一个成员国的武装攻击都被视为对所有成员国的攻击。

根据当时公布的文本，该协议的第一条规定，双方应采取“一切必要手段”消除对彼此领土完整、主权和国际公认边界的威胁。

土耳其议会上周开始批准该协议，目前仍在进行中；而巴基斯坦上周也批准了该协议。