TEHRAN, Iran — Iran began talks on Monday with the three countries of the Mecca security pact, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, to discuss regional issues as the months-long Middle East war remains locked in a stalemate, state television reported.

 

The meeting, requested by Pakistan, opened in capital Tehran and focused on "regional cooperation, the US-Israeli aggression against Iran and its consequences", Iran's state broadcaster said.

 

"As agreed, Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman, Pakistani army chief General Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin will participate in this meeting," said Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council.

 

In an interview with state television, Bagheri Kani said the meeting will also include Iran's security chief Mohsen Rezaei. He was also to be present at all the meetings.

 

The representatives of the pact met with Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian, according to the photos shared by the presidential website.

 

The talks come after nearly eight months of war following US-Israeli attacks on Iran in late February, prompting Tehran to blockade the Strait of Hormuz. The conflict has roiled global markets and energy trade.

 

An April ceasefire brought an end to the initial phase of intense bombardment but the two sides have continued to vie for control of the strait, through which around a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas used to travel.

 

The war has since spread across the region to include fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, who have attacked airports and oil facilities in the kingdom.

 

Saudi Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Dr Rayed Krimly confirmed that the kingdom's defence minister was heading a delegation to Tehran on Monday.

 

"The visit comes as part of the continued efforts by the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement countries for de-escalation between parties involved in the ongoing crisis," Krimly said in a post on X.

 

It is aimed at "promoting dialogue and diplomatic solutions, in support of the mediation efforts carried out by the State of Qatar and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan", he added.

 

Iran claims control over the Hormuz strait and regularly targets vessels that attempt to cross without its authorisation, while the United States has imposed a naval counter-blockade on Iranian ports.

 

 

Diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis remain stalled, especially since the collapse of a June deal which laid out a pathway to a permanent settlement.

 

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Monday it was "essential to stop any escalation" in the Middle East, as senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan hold talks in Iran.

 

"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 said at a press conference in Cairo, in response to a question about the possibility of an Iran deal and escalating threats from the United States.

 

"The consequences would be unimaginable. It would have an impact far beyond the region," Guterres said at the joint press conference with Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, after earlier meeting President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

 

Abdelatty said Cairo is "talking daily with the Iranians, we are talking with the Americans, we are working with our regional partners".

 

He singled out the so-called R4 -- which includes Riyadh, Ankara and Islamabad who have sent officials to Tehran.