Representatives of three Mecca alliance countries hold high-level talks with Iran... all-out effort to prevent another full-scale war in the Middle East

[Financial News] Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan held surprise talks in Tehran, Iran, on the 26th (local time) to prevent a new outbreak of war in the Middle East. Iran described the discussions as “very positive.”
Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan Army Chief of Staff Asim Munir and Ibrahim Kalin, head of Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT), held a series of meetings in Tehran with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and National Security Council Chairman Mohsen Rezaei, among others.
No specific agreements were announced at the meeting, but according to Iranian state media, both sides “agreed to continue discussions in the future.”
Chairman Rezaei said on state television, “I feel a new current taking shape in the region,” adding that “we agreed that regional security should be achieved by the countries of the region themselves, without outside interference, and focused on the issue of Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, southern Lebanon and Syria.”
The diplomatic push was launched suddenly as regional tensions mounted ahead of a pivotal Israeli general election and the U.S. midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress. UN Secretary-General António Guterres also held a press conference in Cairo and called for preventing an all-out war, saying, “It is essential to prevent any military escalation in the Middle East.”
Despite the diplomatic efforts, tensions on the ground remain high. Explosions were heard in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on the night of the talks, apparently caused by a drone attack by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, and the Saudi-led coalition said it had shot down three drones. In response, Egypt’s parliament approved a measure allowing it to provide defensive military support if Saudi Arabia requests it.
Experts believe Saudi Arabia has invested considerable political capital in the talks. Ali Shihabi, a Saudi government-affiliated analyst, said, “Riyadh is investing genuine political capital in dialogue with Iran and seeking a credible diplomatic path to ease tensions and emerge from the crisis.”
Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defense Treaty, a collective defense pact, on August 7.

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