Prince Khalid bin Salman, the Defense Minister of Saudi Arabia, traveled to Tehran on Monday as the head of the Saudi delegation to participate in a meeting with Iranian officials and members of the Mecca Defense Pact.
Objectives of the Meeting
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a statement that this meeting was held in line with the country's role in promoting regional and international dialogue and peace. Prince Khalid's visit to Tehran is part of the ongoing efforts of the member countries of the Mecca Pact to reduce existing tensions, promote dialogue and diplomatic solutions, and support the mediation efforts of Qatar and Pakistan.
International and Regional Contexts
This meeting takes place at a time when Qatar and Pakistan have been leading mediation efforts between Iran and the United States since the onset of the war in late February. Recently, a Qatari delegation also visited Tehran. Despite an agreement signed on June 18 between Iran and the United States to end the war, tensions remain high.
Ismail Baqaei, the spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced at a press conference on Monday that important regional issues, including Israel's actions in Palestinian territories and Lebanon, as well as the impacts of the U.S. war on Iran and regional security, will be discussed in this meeting. He added that this meeting is a practical step towards establishing regional security mechanisms based on common interests.
The Tehran meeting is the first high-level interaction between the parties since the increase in attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi militants on Saudi Arabia this month. Additionally, the Houthis have recently announced new attacks on Saudi Arabia, including targeting pumping stations along the country's east-west pipeline and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
Following these developments, the Saudi-led coalition announced on Monday that it had destroyed several Houthi missile launchers and warehouses in Yemen.
These escalating attacks have prompted Turkey to intensify its efforts to implement the Mecca agreement with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The Turkish Parliament's Foreign Relations Committee is set to discuss this pact on Tuesday.
Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia signed the Mecca Pact on August 7, which states that any armed attack against one member is considered an attack against all members.
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