Saudi defence pact countries push for peace in Iran

Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani officials met Iranian leaders in Tehran to de-escalate West Asia tensions

Top officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan met Iranian officials in Tehran on Monday in a bid to de-escalate the conflict in West Asia, as Yemen’s Houthis launched new attacks on Saudi Arabia and Egypt approved defence support for the Gulf kingdom.

The talks were the first high-level contact between Iran and the three nations — which signed the Mecca mutual defence pact in Aug — since a war that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran also spread to Saudi Arabia and Yemen.The Saudi foreign ministry said the visit was intended to open negotiating channels to “prevent the return of military escalation”. Saudi Arabia was represented by defence minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, younger brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman; Pakistan by army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir; and Turkiye by intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, Saudi and Iranian officials said.Iranian state media published pictures of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, foreign minister Abbas Araqchi and Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, attending the meetings. At the conclusion of the meetings, the four states agreed to continue talks with a view to strengthening cooperation, especially in peace and security, state media reported.Pakistan and Qatar have led mediation efforts in the war.

Qatari mediators were in Tehran Sunday, an official said.Earlier efforts helped produce an interim peace agreement in June but fighting between Iran and the United States soon resumed. Conflict then flared between the Iran-aligned Houthis and US ally Saudi Arabia, opening a new front.Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday’s discussions would include “Israel’s expansionist policies, developments in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon, and the repercussions of US and Israeli military action against Iran”.

Egypt parl okays defence support for Saudis

Saudi Arabia has intensified strikes against the Houthis since they captured strategic areas along Yemen’s Red Sea coast last month, advancing against Saudi-backed govt forces. The Houthis have hit Saudi airports, ports and oil installations. On Monday, the Houthis said they had attacked pumping stations on Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline as well as Riyadh airport. There was no immediate Saudi confirmation of the Houthi attacks.

The parliament in Egypt, which has said it is considering joining the Mecca pact, Monday authorised the Egyptian military to help defend Saudi Arabia, a major financial and political partner for Cairo.

‘Hezbollah readies for new war with funds from Iran’

Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has spent three months preparing for a possible resumption of hostilities with Israel, after receiving an infusion of cash from Iran, according to Lebanese security personnel briefed on its activities.

Invading Israeli forces now occupy its heartland of villages in southern Lebanon, and political pressure has built up in Beirut for its disarmament. It nevertheless remains committed to fighting Israel and has used a lull in hostilities since June to rearm, with a focus on procuring explosives and producing drones that can be flown into Israeli positions, two Lebanese security sources said.One of the sources, and another close to Hezbollah, said the group had received millions of dollars from Iran to help boost its military capabilities. The group has been restoring command-and-control structures that broke down in key battles, according to one of those sources and three other security officials familiar with the group's operations.