Islamabad/Tehran, Oct 26 Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday called for “regional unity” as he met top defence officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan in Tehran to discuss the regional situation, amid escalating tensions in the region.
“Any understanding reached in these meetings that leads to stronger unity, cohesion and regional cooperation will receive the firm and comprehensive support of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Pezeshkian told the top security officials of the Makkah alliance countries.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye are part of the Makkah Joint Defence agreement signed in August. According to the pact, any attack on one of the three countries would be treated as an attack against all.
In his meeting with Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin and Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, the Iranian president stressed the need for Muslim nations to stand together against threats targeting their peoples and deepen cooperation to resolve regional differences, state-run IRNA news agency reported.
The quadrilateral meeting comes amid fears that escalating tensions in the region could draw more countries into the fighting.
The meeting also comes amid raging tensions between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis in recent weeks, with the Iran-backed group claiming attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities and military sites. Saudi Arabia has reported intercepting missiles and drones targeting the kingdom.
“We must focus on our common ground and areas of mutual cooperation, and not allow differences of opinion to stand in the way of advancing the shared interests of regional nations,” said Pezeshkian, who was flanked by Supreme National Security Council’s Secretary Major General Mohsen Rezaei and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
“The notion that nations can be forced into submission through pressure and sanctions is fundamentally misguided. The deeper and broader the cooperation among countries in the region, the greater their capacity to address challenges and withstand external pressure,” he said.
Earlier, Prince Khalid, Kalin and Field Marshal Munir jointly met Rezaei.
A joint statement issued after their meeting said the “participants agreed to continue the dialogue to strengthen cooperation amongst the four regional countries, including for peace and security in the region.”
Iran’s state-run Press TV earlier reported that the talks “will focus on regional security, the fallout from military aggression, and support for Palestine and Lebanon.”
Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB shared a video of the meeting, saying the quadrilateral meeting on “regional security and stability” had begun.
The video showed Field Marshal Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi sitting with Rezaei, Araghchi, Prince Khalid and Kalin.
This is Munir’s second trip to Tehran within a week, amid indications that the US might be preparing for another round of fighting with Iran.
According to the Supreme National Security Council’s Deputy Secretary Ali Bagheri, the quadrilateral meeting was proposed by Pakistan.
Hours earlier, Bagheri had said that “senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkiye will travel to Tehran as part of efforts to implement the idea of endogenous security in West Asia.”
The high-level meeting comes days after the Pakistan Army chief met President Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Rezaei in Tehran.
“The purpose of these senior officials’ trip is consultation with Major General Mohsen Rezaei regarding regional security,” Bagheri said.
“All three countries attending this meeting, along with Iran, can take an effective step toward creating endogenous security within the framework of Iran’s effective idea for regional security-building with the participation of regional actors, drawing on Iran’s successful experience in national security-building,” Bagheri was quoted as saying by the state-run IRNA news agency.
Saudi Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Rayed Krimly earlier described the meeting 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 underscores 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 said in a post on X.
In Tehran, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei earlier said that the meeting with officials from the three countries would cover “most pressing issues threatening our region”, which included Israel’s expansionist policies, developments in Palestine and Lebanon.
He also said that the topic of “top priority on the agenda would be consequences of the US-Israeli aggression against Iran and its ramifications for the entire region”.
The US and Iran signed the Islamabad MoU in June to restore peace in West Asia, advance negotiations on regional security and other contentious issues. The deal ended the conflict that began on February 28 and continued till April 8, when the ceasefire was agreed, followed by talks mediated by Pakistan.
Field Marshal Munir and Interior Minister Naqvi have made multiple trips to Tehran as part of Islamabad’s efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region. Munir’s last visit to Tehran coincided with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s unannounced trip to West Asia.
During his meeting with Munir last week, Rezaei told the Pakistani army chief that all enriched nuclear materials will remain in Iran as a national asset, stressing that no negotiations with the US will take place until Washington builds trust by meeting Iran’s conditions, according to the channel.
Also, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov last week travelled to Tehran, where he met Iranian leaders and discussed everything from Europe to West Asia, including Lebanon, Palestine, Ukraine and Yemen.
(PTI News)
