Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan will hold talks on regional security with Iranian officials on Monday in Tehran, Iranian and Saudi authorities said.
The meeting follows eight months of war in the Middle East and recent US and Israeli threats of renewed attacks against Iran.
“As agreed, Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman, Pakistani army chief General Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin will participate in this meeting,” said Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
In an interview with state television, Kani said the meeting will also include Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei.
Saudi Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Dr Rayed Krimly confirmed that the kingdom’s defence minister was heading a delegation to Tehran on Monday.
“The visit comes as part of the continued efforts by the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement countries for de-escalation between parties involved in the ongoing crisis,” Krimly said in a post on X.
It is aimed at “promoting dialogue and diplomatic solutions, in support of the mediation efforts carried out by the State of Qatar and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan”, he added.
War has engulfed the Middle East since late February when the United States 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 Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
AFP