Turkey joined Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in Tehran on Monday for talks with Iran aimed at easing tensions in the Middle East war.
The delegation representing the three countries, members of the Mecca security pact, also met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, according to photographs published by his office.
Turkey was represented by İbrahim Kalın, head of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT), along with Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman and Pakistani army chief Gen. Asim Munir.
The meeting was requested by Pakistan and focused on “regional cooperation, the US-Israeli aggression against Iran and its consequences,” Iran’s state broadcaster said.
Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei was also scheduled to participate, according to Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
The talks came nearly eight months after US-Israeli attacks on Iran in late February triggered a war that has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and roiled energy markets.
An April ceasefire ended the initial phase of bombardment, but Iran and the United States have continued to compete for control of the strait, which carried around a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas before the war.
The conflict has since spread to fighting between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, who have attacked airports and oil facilities in the kingdom.
The Tehran visit forms part of efforts by the pact’s members to reduce tensions and support mediation by Qatar and Pakistan, Saudi Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Rayed Krimly wrote on X.
Iran claims control over the Strait of Hormuz and targets vessels attempting to cross without its authorization, while the United States has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
Efforts to resolve the conflict have stalled since the collapse of a June agreement that set out a path toward a settlement.
© Agence France-Presse
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