Iran US conflict: Saudi, Turkey and Pakistan delegation holds Tehran talks
A high-level Iran US conflict delegation from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan travelled to Tehran to meet Iran's top security officials in an attempt to avert renewed conflict between Iran and the US and Israel.
Iran US conflict: Saudi, Turkey and Pakistan delegation holds Tehran talks
Who came and what is on the table
A senior diplomatic delegation arrived in Tehran on Monday as part of efforts to head off renewed fighting in the Iran US conflict, meeting Iranian security officials and negotiators to push for a deal between Tehran and Washington. The visitors were Saudi defence minister Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Turkey's intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalın.
Two items dominated the agenda:
- Iran's possible inclusion in a new security pact involving Islamic countries
- How Iran could persuade the Houthis in Yemen to end their missile and drone attacks on Saudi infrastructure
A pact with history behind it
The three visiting countries signed a defence agreement in Mecca in August. Some in Iran feared it was built to challenge Tehran, though the signatories describe it as a mutual defence pact. Iran's foreign ministry has itself often proposed a regional security pact in which Iran, as opposed to the US, plays a role, and Oman is one Gulf state to have explored a pact that includes Iran.
Tehran's case for regional security
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the meeting could pave the way for broader regional cooperation on security based on shared interest, adding that the past two years have shown lasting security is only possible through trust and cooperation among the countries of the region.
Regional security is not imported, it must be created by the people of this very region together.
The words are those of former foreign minister Javad Zarif, who called for "a comprehensive regional network based on non-aggression, mutual trust building, and shared prosperity". He published the message alongside an image of verses 103 and 159 from Surah Ali 'Imran, the third chapter of the Qur'an, which emphasise avoiding division, fostering unity, seeking forgiveness and consulting others.
Pressure and obstacles around the talks
The Tehran talks take place against a tense backdrop:
- The Houthis claimed to have closed Riyadh airport and inflicted heavy damage on the Saudi economy, with fighting raging across Yemen
- The Pentagon has continued briefing on a major US military buildup in preparation for a possible assault after the midterm elections
- Qatari mediators spent much of Sunday in Tehran seeking terms for Iran to reopen the strait of Hormuz
- Israeli media claimed prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been trying to browbeat the military into provoking a war with Iran before the Israeli elections on Tuesday
Donald Trump has repeatedly called for Netanyahu to be re-elected. Any regional security pact with Iran is likely to be resisted in large parts of the Middle East because of the damage Tehran has been prepared to inflict on regional economies, directly or through intermediaries such as the Houthis. Within Iran, hardliners increasingly argue the country's security lies in assembling a nuclear bomb, ending the fatwa on possession of a weapon of mass destruction.
A pact would likely take many months to negotiate, and may not solve Washington's demand that Iran reopen the strait of Hormuz before US sanctions are lifted.
