Saudi Arabia's Minister of Defence Prince Khalid bin Salman made a surprise visit to Tehran on Monday in a major push for de-escalation in the Middle East amid intensifying Houthi attacks on Saudi cities and fears of a renewed full-scale war between Iran and the US.
Pakistan's army chief of staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Ibrahim Kalin, the director of Turkey's intelligence service, were also attending the meetings in the Iranian capital, said Rayed Krimly, Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy in the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Saudi Foreign Affairs Ministry said that Prince Khalid's visit came as part of the Makkah Agreement states' efforts to "de-escalate between the parties to the current crisis, encourage dialogue and diplomatic solutions" as well as to support mediation efforts by Qatar and Pakistan.
The Makkah Agreement is a collective defence alliance signed by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan in August. It has been submitted to Turkey's parliament for ratification this week and is based on the principle that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.
The talks mark the first time that senior officials from the Makkah Agreement countries have engaged in direct talks with Iran since the pact was signed and Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis began their escalation against Saudi Arabia in the same month.
Iranian state media said they had agreed to continue dialogue.
More diplomatic efforts were under way on Monday. Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, spoke by phone with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.
They discussed ways to "de-escalate tensions and promote regional stability and security", the Qatari Foreign Ministry said.
Concern has grown about the possibility of a return to war between the US and Iran, with both sides issuing renewed threats.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday's meeting was a "key development in shaping regional diplomacy". He told local media that a "quadrilateral meeting" that includes Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian "serves as a practical step towards deliberation and co-operation on regional security mechanisms".
Qatari media had reported that a delegation from the country was in Tehran on Sunday.
Mr Trump last week said Washington may carry out another "little Epic Fury", using the military's term for the war on Iran. The timeline is unclear for when that may happen because Mr Trump said previously that he would not launch attacks before the US midterm elections on November 3. He also spoke of a "big beautiful agreement" as an alternative to renewed strikes.
Asked by The National for comment on the meeting, a senior US official said that "President [Donald] Trump holds all the cards and will do whatever is best for the United States".
"Iran is a failed country ... The Hormuz Strait is open and tens of millions of barrels of oil are escorted out of the Strait every day," the official said. "They [the Iranians] have been systematically destroyed, both militarily and financially, and unless they change their ways, rapidly, we will soon finish the job."
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that indirect talks with the US were continuing through mediators Pakistan and Qatar. But he said Tehran was ready to resume fighting, while insisting that diplomacy was possible.
"All regional factors pushed towards the visit to Tehran, but the most important was the renewed deadlock in the Yemeni war and its increasing danger", a source in Tehran said. "Riyadh knows that one of the keys to solving the Yemeni issue lies in Iran, especially as the Yemeni war has become deeply intertwined with the wider regional conflict."
Prince Khalid last visited Tehran in April last year. "His presence means that he personally represents both the King and the Crown Prince in this move, with a clear mandate, and is leveraging the special relationship that links Tehran with Islamabad and Ankara to open channels for a settlement," added the source.
Saudi Arabia has come under intensified Houthi attacks in recent weeks, including deadly strikes on airports that have disrupted air travel and prompted the cancellation or postponement of major international conferences, diplomatic summits and sporting events in the kingdom. The Houthis have also claimed attacks on Saudi energy and military targets.
In September, sources in Tehran, Aden and Cairo spoke to The National about a plan by Iran to use the conflict in Yemen as a new pressure point in its war with the US. The latest Houthi escalation began in July after what the rebels described as Saudi aggression against Sanaa airport, shortly before a direct flight from Tehran landed in Yemen.
