Officials from the three Mecca Defence Alliance countries will meet Iranian leaders in Tehran on Monday for the bloc’s first high-level talks with Iran, with regional security among the issues on the agenda.
Saudi Arabia will send Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, while Pakistan will be represented by army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Turkey by intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, according to Saudi and Iranian officials.
The talks will mark the first formal contact between Iran and representatives of all three alliance members since Saudi Arabia was drawn deeper into the conflict with the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in August. Under the pact, an armed attack against any of the three countries is considered an attack against all members.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday that the discussions would address regional security, including “Israel’s expansionist policies, developments in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon, and the repercussions of US and Israeli military action against Iran.”
The meeting was proposed during Munir’s visit to Tehran last week, according to Baghaei.