Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan meet Iranian officials in Tehran
Officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan are meeting Iranian officials in Tehran to discuss regional security and efforts to de-escalate tensions, as renewed Ansar Allah (Houthi) attacks on Saudi Arabia threaten oil infrastructure and deepen concerns over disruptions to energy shipments.
The three countries, which signed the “Mecca Alliance” defense agreement, are seeking to contain the escalation through diplomatic coordination and mediation, with Pakistan and Qatar playing key roles in efforts to reduce tensions between Tehran and Washington.
Saudi Arabia is represented at the meetings, according to reports, by Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman. Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin are also taking part. The consultations are expected to include officials from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the discussions cover regional security, including developments in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon, as well as the consequences of US and Israeli military operations against Iran. He said the meeting could pave the way for regional security arrangements that take the interests of countries in the region into account.
Baghaei said the idea for the meeting was raised during Asim Munir’s visit to Tehran last week. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Pakistan had initiated the proposal as part of efforts to reduce tensions between Tehran and Washington.
Saudi Deputy Minister for Diplomatic Affairs Raed Krimli said the visit was part of efforts by the countries in the Mecca Alliance to de-escalate tensions, support diplomatic solutions and back mediation led by Qatar and Pakistan.
The high-level talks in Tehran come on the heels of the R4+E3 joint ministerial summit held in Istanbul on Oct. 23. That earlier forum, hosted by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, brought the “Mecca Alliance” nations together with representatives from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy to address global maritime corridors and wider diplomatic de-escalation before the diplomatic focus shifted to direct consultations with Iran.
Ansar Allah attacks add pressure
The diplomatic efforts coincide with renewed Ansar Allah attacks on Saudi Arabia. The group said Monday that it had targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and pumping stations along the kingdom’s East-West crude oil pipeline.
Yahya Saree, the Houthis’ military spokesperson, said on X that the group had targeted the airport with a ballistic missile and the oil pumping stations with drones, claiming the attacks had accurately hit their targets.
Saudi Arabia had not confirmed any damage to the airport or oil facilities. The Saudi-led military coalition said it intercepted a ballistic missile launched toward Riyadh and carried out strikes on missile storage and launch sites in Yemen.
The targeting of King Khalid International Airport came a day after Saudi authorities announced a partial resumption of operations at the airport, which was closed following an attack claimed by Ansar Allah on Oct. 10 that killed 13 people and injured more than 300 others.
The attacks on oil pumping stations further complicate the situation as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted. The East-West pipeline provides an alternative route for transporting Saudi oil to export terminals on the Red Sea, allowing shipments to bypass the strait.
The pipeline stretches about 1,200 kilometers, carrying oil from the kingdom’s eastern region to its western coast. Saudi Arabia temporarily suspended its operation in September as a precaution after a drone attack that Riyadh and Baghdad said originated in Iraqi territory.
In response to the latest attacks, coalition spokesperson Turki Al-Maliki said the military had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched toward Riyadh. He provided no further details about where the missile was intercepted or whether it caused any damage.
Al-Maliki also announced a military operation targeting Houthi sites in areas under the group’s control in Yemen. He said the operation destroyed five tunnels used to store ballistic missiles, four launch platforms and a missile depot. He added that the strikes targeted the group’s supply lines, fighters and military equipment along the front lines.
In a separate announcement, the coalition said it had destroyed two ballistic missile launch platforms in Sanaa. It said one had been used to launch a missile toward Riyadh that Saudi air defenses intercepted.
The strikes come amid a broader military campaign involving internationally recognized Yemeni government forces backed by Saudi Arabia, which are seeking to retake strategic areas near the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait. Ansar Allah seized coastal positions last month and advanced toward the strait, a vital shipping corridor for global trade and energy supplies.