Top officials from Mecca pact countries to meet Iranian officials in Tehran, two sources say

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. Both countries have also drawn up plans to restart the wider war, possibly after the US midterm elections on November 3.

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.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday discussions on regional security would include "Israel’s expansionist policies, developments in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon, and the repercussions of US and Israeli military action against Iran."

Baghaei said the meeting, proposed during a visit by Munir to Tehran last week, could be a first step towards establishing regional security mechanisms based on the interests of countries in the region.

A senior Iranian official said Pakistan initiated the meeting during Munir's visit to Tehran last week, when 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.

Earlier mediation efforts involving both Pakistan and Qatar helped produce an interim peace agreement in June, but the deal quickly unraveled as fighting between Iran and the United States resumed weeks later.

Saudi Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Rayed Krimly said the meeting is part of ongoing efforts by the Mecca Pact countries to de-escalate the current crisis, promote diplomatic solutions, and support mediation efforts led by Qatar and Pakistan. "The visit also underscores the pivotal role of the Mecca Pact states in fostering regional security and stability, and their commitment to working with all nations in the region toward achieving this goal," Krimly posted on X/Twitter.

Pakistan's military media wing and Turkey's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Ministers from the Mecca Pact countries held an emergency meeting in Riyadh earlier this month and agreed to ensure the "rapid deployment" of military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia.

The Houthi attacks have become an increasingly destabilizing element in the US-Israeli offensive against Iran, turning US ally Saudi Arabia into a pressure point ⁠in the wider war.

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have sharpened in recent days. US President Donald Trump said on Friday the US may carry out another military operation against Iran, and Iran's leaders have said that a renewed US military campaign would be met with a stronger response than before.

Iranian security officials have told Reuters that Tehran has drawn up detailed plans to hit Gulf undersea cables if the United States and Israel attack again. A US intelligence memo this week warned that Iranian plots against American personnel had reached "advanced stages."

The war, now nearly eight months old, has weighed on President Donald Trump's approval ratings ahead of the midterms.

The Mecca agreement's first article says the parties shall use "all necessary means" to eliminate threats to one another's territorial integrity, sovereignty or internationally recognized borders, according to a text seen by Reuters.

Efforts by Turkey’s parliament to ratify the agreement began last week and are still underway, while Pakistan approved the pact last week.