Islamabad/Tehran: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday called for “regional unity” as he met top defence officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan in Tehran to discuss the regional situation, amid escalating tensions in the region.
“Any understanding reached in these meetings that leads to stronger unity, cohesion and regional cooperation will receive the firm and comprehensive support of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Pezeshkian told the top security officials of the Makkah alliance countries.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are part of the Makkah Joint Defence agreement signed in August. According to the pact, any attack on one of the three countries would be treated as an attack against all.
In his meeting with Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin and Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, the Iranian president stressed the need for Muslim nations to stand together against threats targeting their peoples and deepen cooperation to resolve regional differences, state-run IRNA news agency reported.
The quadrilateral meeting comes amid fears that escalating tensions in the region could draw more countries into the fighting.
The meeting also comes amid raging tensions between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis in recent weeks, with the Iran-backed group claiming attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities and military sites. Saudi Arabia has reported intercepting missiles and drones targeting the kingdom.
“We must focus on our common ground and areas of mutual cooperation, and not allow differences of opinion to stand in the way of advancing the shared interests of regional nations,” said Pezeshkian, who was flanked by Supreme National Security Council’s Secretary Major General Mohsen Rezaei and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
“The notion that nations can be forced into submission through pressure and sanctions is fundamentally misguided. The deeper and broader the cooperation among countries in the region, the greater their capacity to address challenges and withstand external pressure,” he said.
Earlier, Prince Khalid, Kalin and Field Marshal Munir jointly met Rezaei.
A joint statement issued after their meeting said the “participants agreed to continue the dialogue to strengthen cooperation amongst the four regional countries, including for peace and security in the region.”
Iran’s state-run Press TV earlier reported that the talks “will focus on regional security, the fallout from military aggression, and support for Palestine and Lebanon.”
Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB shared a video of the meeting, saying the quadrilateral meeting on “regional security and stability” had begun.
The video showed Field Marshal Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi sitting with Rezaei, Araghchi, Prince Khalid and Kalin.
This is Munir’s second trip to Tehran within a week, amid indications that the US might be preparing for another round of fighting with Iran.
According to the Supreme National Security Council’s Deputy Secretary Ali Bagheri, the quadrilateral meeting was proposed by Pakistan.
Hours earlier, Bagheri had said that “senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkiye will travel to Tehran as part of efforts to implement the idea of endogenous security in West Asia.”
The high-level meeting comes days after the Pakistan Army chief met President Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Rezaei in Tehran.
“The purpose of these senior officials’ trip is consultation with Major General Mohsen Rezaei regarding regional security,” Bagheri said.
