Top officials from Mecca Pact countries to meet Iranian officials in Tehran: Sources

Top officials from the Mecca Pact countries Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan are set to meet Iranian officials in Tehran on Oct 26 to discuss regional coordination, two people with knowledge of the matter said.Saudi Arabia will be represented by Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, and Pakistan by army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, the people said on condition of anonymity.The Turkish head of intelligence will also join, one of the people said.The Saudi government media office and Pakistan’s military media wing did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.The planned talks would be the first high-level contact between Iran and all members of the three-nation bloc since Saudi Arabia has come under escalating attacks from Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis.Saudi Arabia intercepted another wave of missiles and drones on Oct 25 as fighting with the militant group continued unabated.Ministers from the Mecca Pact countries held an emergency meeting in Riyadh earlier in October and agreed to ensure the “rapid deployment” of military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia.The conflict has become an increasingly destabilising element in the US-Israeli offensive against Iran, turning US ally Saudi Arabia into a pressure point ⁠in the wider war.Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in August, under which an armed attack on one member is considered an attack on all.The agreement’s first article says the parties shall use “all necessary means” to eliminate threats to one another’s territorial integrity, sovereignty or internationally recognised borders, according to a text seen by Reuters.Efforts by Turkey’s Parliament to ratify the agreement began last week and are still underway, while Pakistan approved the pact last week. REUTERS