Summary Defence officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye are set to meet Iranian officials in Tehran to discuss regional security coordination amid escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.
(Reuters) - Top officials from the Makkah defence pact countries Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan are set to meet Iranian officials in Tehran on Monday to discuss regional coordination, two people with knowledge of the matter said.
Saudi Arabia will be represented by Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman,while top officials from Pakistan and Turkiye will also attend the meeting.
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 Houthis.
Saudi Arabia intercepted another wave of missiles and drones on Sunday as fighting with the militant group continued unabated.
Ministers from the Makkah Pact countries held an emergency meeting in Riyadh earlier this month 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.
Turkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the Makkah 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.
