Officials from Mecca pact countries to meet Iranian officials in Tehran

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Top officials from Mecca Pact countries Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan are to meet Iran's leaders in Tehran on Monday in their ‌first high-level contact since the kingdom became a pressure point in the wider Iran conflict.

Saudi Arabia will be represented by Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan by army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Türkiye by intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, Reuters reported, citing Saudi and Iranian officials.

The talks come as attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have spiraled over recent weeks and rhetoric between Washington and Tehran has grown more heated.

Monday's planned talks would be the first ​high-level contact between Iran and all members of the three-nation bloc since Saudi Arabia was drawn deeper into the conflict. Under the Mecca ⁠Joint Defense Agreement signed in August, an armed attack on one member is considered an attack on all.

A senior Iranian official said the meeting was initiated by Pakistan, during ​Munir's visit to Tehran last week, as he met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior officials. During the visit, Iranian officials told him there would be no talks with Washington until Tehran's demands were met, according to Iranian media.

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