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Saudi Arabia and its allies sent senior security officials to Iran on Monday for talks, as fears grow that a new US-Israeli offensive could deepen instability in the Middle East, according to CNN.
Pakistan’s military chief, Asim Munir, and Turkey’s intelligence chief, Ibrahim Kalin, joined Saudi Prince Khalid bin Salman in Tehran for meetings with senior Iranian officials, including national security chief Mohsen Rezaei and President Masoud Pezeshkian.
The talks come as speculation grows that US President Donald Trump could order new strikes on Iran after next week’s midterm elections. They also mark the first high-level contact between Iran and Saudi Arabia since Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis escalated attacks on Saudi targets last month.
Saudi Foreign Ministry official Rayed Krimly said the meeting would discuss “de-escalation” among parties involved in the “ongoing crisis.” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters that the talks could be a prelude to “establishing a regional security framework.”
“We have consistently emphasized that regional security can only be ensured by relying on the will and security considerations of the countries of the region,” Baghaei added.
The ‘Mecca Alliance’ and regional security
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan make up the newly formed “Mecca Alliance,” a coalition of three of the region’s largest powers. Under the pact, an attack on one member is considered an attack on all. The arrangement has drawn scrutiny for bringing together nuclear-armed Pakistan, Turkey’s military strength and Saudi Arabia’s financial resources.
Pakistan has been a key intermediary between Washington and Tehran since the war began in February.
“The significance of the meeting lies primarily in its timing and the officials involved,” Hamidreza Azizi, a senior Iran analyst at the International Crisis Group think tank, told CNN. “It comes at a moment when the risk of another round of war between Iran and the United States is growing, and the three members of the Mecca Pact have direct security interests at stake.”
Khalid bin Salman, a Saudi royal and brother of the kingdom’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, surprised observers with his visit. Iran and Saudi Arabia represent competing religious ideologies and have been regional rivals for decades. Their rivalry escalated into direct confrontation earlier this year after the United States and Israel launched a war on Iran.
Iran struck Washington’s regional allies, including Saudi Arabia, after the United States and Israel killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, much of its military leadership and senior nuclear scientists in February. Iran’s allies and proxies, including groups in Iraq and Yemen, have also attacked Saudi oil facilities and civilian infrastructure, putting unprecedented pressure on the kingdom.
Concerns over possible US strikes
Middle Eastern countries are concerned that a fresh US offensive against Iran could prompt further Iranian retaliation after eight months of instability in the region.
Two US officials told CNN that enough US forces are now deployed in the region to carry out potential attacks. The scope of any new US military operations would likely go beyond efforts to “mow the lawn” — maintaining the status quo by striking radars, launchers and other Iranian assets that can be quickly rebuilt — the officials said. Such strikes have been the approach since Trump halted full combat operations earlier this year.
After months of Iranian missile and drone attacks on US-allied neighbours, Tehran has reduced the intensity of its strikes. It has instead focused on creating economic uncertainty by seeking to block the only waterway used by vessels carrying a fifth of the world’s oil and gas each day.
Tehran has urged regional countries to remove US bases and stop relying on Washington for their defence. Most of Iran’s neighbours have militaries equipped by the United States, but have gradually begun diversifying their arsenals and formalising new military alliances amid concerns about Washington’s commitment to defending its allies.
The “Mecca Alliance” is part of a “broader effort” to develop a more “independent regional security architecture,” Danny Citrinowicz, former head of the Iran branch of Israel’s military intelligence, wrote on X.
“The decision to engage directly with Tehran is equally significant,” Citrinowicz added. “It reflects not only recognition of the Iranian regime but also an understanding that Iran remains a central regional player whose influence cannot simply be ignored.”
Iranian officials have welcomed the initiative. Some, including former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, see it as an opportunity to establish a broader regional security framework and reduce dependence on the United States.
However, the developments do not yet indicate an immediate diplomatic breakthrough, Azizi of the International Crisis Group said.
“Tehran wants credible guarantees that any agreement would prevent another military attack, and it is difficult to see how Saudi Arabia, Turkey or Pakistan could provide such guarantees or exert sufficient influence over Trump to secure them,” he said.
“Unless these countries bring something new to the table that could change the calculations in either Tehran or Washington, the meeting is unlikely to produce a substantive breakthrough,” Azizi added. “For now, it looks more like a last-minute attempt to prevent the resumption of war than the beginning of a new diplomatic process.”
