Makkah Defence Pact Officials to Meet Iranian Leadership in Tehran

TEHRAN: Senior officials from member countries of the Makkah Defence Pact are expected to meet Iranian officials on Monday to discuss regional coordination, security developments and bilateral cooperation, according to foreign media reports.

Saudi Arabia will be represented at the meeting by Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, the reports said.

The meeting would mark the first engagement between senior officials from the three countries and Iranian leadership since an increase in attacks on Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels.

Earlier this month, defence ministers from the pact’s member states held an emergency meeting in Riyadh, where they agreed to ensure the swift deployment of military personnel and defence capabilities to Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia’s government media office and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) have declined to comment on the reported meeting.