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Mecca pact countries in Iran in bid to stop war restarting
Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan held talks with Iran in Tehran on Monday in an attempt to stop the Middle East war from resuming, as Egypt authorised military support for Riyadh as the kingdom faces attacks by Yemen's Houthis.
Officials from the three Mecca pact countries flew to Iran as part of efforts to "de-escalate between the parties to the current crisis", a Saudi foreign ministry statement said.
The talks, which include heavyweight Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, follow warnings by the United States, Iran and Israel that hostilities could restart in the eight-month war.
It is the first joint visit to Tehran by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey since they formed a defence alliance in Mecca, the holy city in western Saudi Arabia, in August.
Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, has suffered weeks of attacks by Yemen's Iran-allied Houthis, including a missile strike that killed 13 at Riyadh's international airport.
Regional tensions have risen ahead of Israel's pivotal elections on Tuesday and next week's US midterms, where US President Donald Trump's Republicans are battling to keep control of both chambers of the US Congress.
As the talks in Tehran began, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said it was "essential to stop any escalation" in the Middle East.
"The risk to have the combination of an overwhelming military attack on Iran, and an overwhelming military attack by Iran on the countries of the Gulf, needs to be avoided at all costs," he told a press conference in Cairo.
Prince Khalid, Pakistan's powerful army chief General Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin were set to meet Iran's security head Mohsen Rezaei, a senior Iranian official told state TV earlier.
"This historic meeting in Tehran may be the last chance before escalation spirals out of control, an attempt to impose a path of de-escalation before it's too late," Hesham Alghannam, a Saudi security analyst and researcher, posted on X.
- 'Powerful signal' -
Fresh explosions rattled Riyadh overnight, after the Iran-allied Houthis claimed a new attack on the Saudi capital's international airport on Sunday.
Responding to weeks of attacks, Egypt's parliament approved President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's request to approve defensive military support for Saudi Arabia "if requested".
Egypt has the Arab world's largest military, with hundreds of thousands of active personnel, fighter jets and air defences sourced from countries including the US, China, France and Russia. It was not clear exactly what support was on offer.
US-Iran mediation efforts have been led by Qatar and Pakistan. A Qatari delegation visited Tehran on Sunday, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said.
Andreas Krieg of London-based risk consultancy MENA analytica said Prince Khalid's presence in Tehran was "hugely significant", calling him the "strategic mastermind of Saudi Arabia".
Prince Khalid, brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler, has emerged as one of Saudi Arabia's key diplomatic interlocutors, repeatedly dispatched on sensitive regional missions.
"His seniority and proximity to the Saudi leadership send a powerful signal," Ali Shihabi, a Saudi analyst who is close to the government, posted on social media.
"Riyadh is investing serious political capital in dialogue with Iran, seeking to contain escalation and create a credible diplomatic path out of the crisis."
- 'Don't test us' -
Recent comments have heightened speculation about renewed conflict. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday "there has been talk of a new war" but that Tehran's policies remain unchanged.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Washington "may do another little Epic Fury", referring to the US-Israeli campaign on Iran that began on February 28.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Iran may try to disrupt the Israeli elections, where he is in a neck-and-neck race to stay in power.
"We have intelligence signs that our enemies, Iran and its proxies, could challenge us with attacks in order to disrupt the elections," Netanyahu said in a video released by his office.
"Don't test us. You will suffer disproportionate blows," added Netanyahu, who has campaigned heavily on his security credentials.
The remarks came as Israel's Channel 12, citing unnamed sources, reported a confrontation between Netanyahu and army chief Eyal Zamir over an unspecified new directive in the war with Iran, which the premier denied.
burs-th/jfx
N.Wilson--SFF
