Amid growing fears that the United States and Israel are preparing to launch new attacks on Iran following the November 3 US midterm elections, three major Middle Eastern powers have sent a coordinated diplomatic message directly to Tehran.
Pakistani army chief Asim Munir, Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin all traveled to Iran to meet with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and senior officials in Tehran on Monday. The three envoys represent the Mecca Defense Pact – a military alliance between Islamabad, Riyadh and Ankara, officially created this summer.
Saudi Arabia said the trip was aimed at opening channels of negotiation and “preventing the return of military escalation.” Details on the agenda, however, remain scarce.
A senior Pakistani official cited by Reuters news agency said the talks focused on building a regional non-aggression network, in addition to U.S.-Iran talks, Houthi rebel attacks on Saudi Arabia, the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. naval blockade.
Another official said Pakistan’s Munir had presented Iran with a solution to the conflict that would bring something to both Washington and Iran, with the three Mecca states and Qatar acting as mediators. The source told Reuters that US President Donald Trump had previously given Munir the green light to attempt diplomacy.
Tehran presents meeting as a success
Iran praised the “very positive atmosphere” which reigned during the Tehran negotiations, even if no progress was officially announced.
“Very good discussions took place between us,” Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said on state television. “I feel that a new atmosphere is emerging in the region.”
Rezaei argued that regional security should be built by West Asian countries themselves and without external intervention.
A day later, Rezaei reportedly met with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. Iranian state media said Khamenei called for protecting Iran’s interests and maintaining Tehran’s conditions to end the war and the current state of “neither war nor peace.”
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian traveled to Moscow for the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Pezeshkian and the emir also discussed the war and the Strait of Hormuz.
These and other diplomatic contacts have been presented by Tehran as evidence of the United States’ inability to diplomatically isolate the Iranian regime.
Are Turkey and Pakistan closing ranks with Saudi Arabia?
The united front presented by the three nations in Tehran, however, can also be seen as a show of strength for the new Mecca defense alliance. It comes as Saudis are increasingly wary of attacks on Saudi infrastructure by Iran-allied Houthi militants.
Under the Mecca Agreement, an external attack against one of the member states must be considered an attack against all. The visit also came on the same day that Egypt’s parliament agreed to provide military aid to Riyadh and take “all necessary measures” to help Saudi Arabia defend itself, in addition to the looming threat from the United States and Israel.
“The simultaneous presence of the three senior representatives sends the message that these countries are acting as a bloc,” Babak Dorbeiki, a London-based political analyst and former head of the Iranian Strategic Research Center, told DW.
Saudi Arabia has long been considered Iran’s main rival in the region. It has used its enormous wealth to counter Iran’s influence and can now, at least in theory, also count on Pakistan’s nuclear capability and Turkey’s conventional military force.
At the same time, Dorbeiki argued that the Mecca Pact is primarily designed for deterrence rather than offensive warfare. And having a defense pact does not mean its members want to fight Iran.
Dorbeiki believes that the bloc’s message could therefore work in two directions: it can mediate, but continued escalation could also change this position.
Riyadh advocates a “diplomatic solution”
Saudi Arabia faces the most immediate dilemma. Further Houthi attacks have damaged its infrastructure and economy, but a broader war with Iran could threaten the investment and development projects at the heart of Riyadh’s economic strategy.
“For Saudi Arabia, the current situation and a war with Iran bring significant costs,” Dorbeiki said. “Its preferred path is therefore a diplomatic solution.”
Additionally, Pakistan has spent months mediating between Washington and Tehran and maintains significant relations with both. A direct conflict would also distract Islamabad from its long-standing security concerns involving India.
Turkey is a member of NATO, but Dorbeiki said direct military support for Iran against the United States is highly unlikely. The fact that Ankara sent intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin rather than its foreign or defense minister also suggests a cautious approach.
Iran continues its diplomacy while preparing for combat
Ali Asghar Shafieian, media adviser to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, also rejected the idea that representatives of the Mecca pact were trying to present an ultimatum to Tehran.
He told DW that the three countries might also have wanted to demonstrate their own growing coordination, while showing that Iran was still part of regional diplomacy.
“You cannot conclude from this one meeting that this was an ultimatum before an attack,” Shafieian said.
He also noted that Iran, like the United States and Israel, could prepare for the possibility of a new conflict while continuing negotiations.
“Just as they are taking the opportunity to strengthen their military and defensive capabilities, so is Iran,” he said, adding that a deal remains possible if Iran’s political position and what Tehran describes as its national dignity are respected.
The diplomatic game continues
Dorbeiki argued that Iran is following a familiar strategy of prolonging negotiations while avoiding concrete commitments.
The Houthi rebels are at the heart of Tehran’s calculations.
Tehran has not publicly offered the kind of guarantees against Houthi attacks that Riyadh would like. Dorbeiki believes Iran may seek to trade its influence over such attacks for concessions such as an end to U.S. military pressure and broader steps toward the end of the war.
The only apparent outcome of the Tehran meeting is to keep talking. For Iran, this could be enough to show that it is still a diplomatic partner rather than an enemy.
Edited by: Shamil Shams
Gn world
