Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan held talks with Iranian leaders in Tehran on Monday in an effort to keep the Middle East war from reigniting, and Iranian officials described the discussions in positive terms.1,2,3,5
The delegations included Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Pakistani army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin. They met President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council. It was the first joint visit to Tehran by the three countries since they formed a defence alliance in Mecca in August. The trip followed warnings from the United States, Iran and Israel that hostilities could restart in the war.1,2,3,5
The meeting ended without concrete announcements. According to Iranian state media, the parties agreed to continue discussions, and a joint statement said the four countries would keep talking about regional peace and security, though no breakthrough was announced. A Saudi foreign ministry statement said the officials had flown to Iran as part of efforts to "de-escalate between the parties to the current crisis."1,2
Rezaei said the talks were "very good," according to state television, and added: "I feel that a new atmosphere is emerging in the region... I sensed a very positive atmosphere in the discussions among the gentlemen." He said the sides agreed that security "should be achieved by the countries themselves, and that we must prevent any kind of foreign intervention," and that emphasis had been placed on the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon, southern Syria, Gaza and the West Bank.1
As the talks 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.1
Warnings of new strikes have grown as well. US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Washington "may do another little Epic Fury," a reference to the US-Israeli campaign against Iran that began on February 28. CNN reported Monday that American forces could launch a large-scale operation within 96 hours of an order from Trump. Trump told Fox News on Sunday that the choice was whether to reach an agreement with Tehran or resume military action. "Do I make a deal with them or do I finish them off? That's the only question," he said.1,2
In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Sunday that Iran and its proxies could try to disrupt elections on Tuesday, in which 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," he said in a video released by his office. 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. Netanyahu's office described the report as "fake news." Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on X: "I state unequivocally that there has been no intention by Israel of initiating an attack on Iran before the elections in Israel."1,5
Attacks on Saudi Arabia have intensified. Fresh explosions rattled Riyadh overnight after the Houthis, Iran-backed rebels in Yemen, claimed an attack on the capital's international airport on Sunday. The Saudi-led coalition later reported intercepting three Houthi-launched drones over southern Saudi Arabia and the Riyadh region. Saudi authorities also reported intercepting a ballistic missile aimed at Riyadh on Monday, and the Houthis claimed fresh attacks on the kingdom's East-West oil pipeline and Riyadh's airport. Saudi officials had not confirmed those specific claims. The coalition said it had destroyed five ballistic missile storage tunnels, four launchers and an additional missile storage facility.1,2
Egypt's parliament approved President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's request to approve defensive military support for Saudi Arabia "if requested," France 24 reported, adding that it was not clear what support was on offer. Breitbart described the vote as authorizing the deployment of military forces to help defend Saudi Arabia, noting that no troop deployment had been announced. Qatar and Pakistan have led the mediation, and a Qatari delegation visited Tehran on Sunday, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said.1,2
The New York Times reported that the mediators had proposed a five-day framework involving reciprocal steps. Under the proposal, Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping while Washington lifted its naval blockade of Iranian ports, and mediators would press Tehran for an initial concession on its nuclear program. Disagreements over which side must act first have complicated the talks. Pakistan and Qatar helped broker an agreement in June, but it unraveled quickly as both sides renewed attacks.2,5
Baqaei said over the weekend that Iran had not closed the window of diplomacy and that messages were being passed to the United States through intermediaries. He said Washington appears to be persisting in unilateral demands, and that Trump and other American officials repeatedly use the phrase "complete surrender," which no Iranian accepts. Tehran has insisted that the American blockade and restrictions on Iranian oil exports be lifted before nuclear negotiations can proceed, and last week Rezaei said "not a single particle of enriched nuclear material" would leave Iran.2,5
Prince Khalid, brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler, has emerged as one of Saudi Arabia's key diplomatic interlocutors. Andreas Krieg of the London-based risk consultancy MENA analytica said his presence in Tehran was "hugely significant," calling him the "strategic mastermind of Saudi Arabia." Ali Shihabi, a Saudi analyst close to the government, posted on social media that "Riyadh is investing serious political capital in dialogue with Iran, seeking to contain escalation and create a credible diplomatic path out of the crisis."1
Israel holds its election on Tuesday, and the US midterm elections are on Nov. 3. Pakistan approved the Mecca pact last week, while efforts by Turkiye's parliament to ratify it are still under way. Baqaei said Monday that "the Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate to exercise its inherent right to self-defense to protect Iran's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence."3,5
