Senior officials from Iran and the three countries that signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, ended a day of talks in Tehran on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, by agreeing only to keep talking. No ceasefire, timetable or mechanism was announced, and Houthi missiles and drones were fired at Saudi Arabia within hours of the meetings ending.
The Tehran talks were the first high-level contact between Iran and the Mecca pact countries since the war that began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran spread to Saudi Arabia and Yemen, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. The Boston Report covered the opening of the meetings in Mecca Pact Talks in Tehran: Saudi, Pakistan, Turkey Meet Iran.
Who Attended the Tehran Talks
Saudi Arabia sent Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, a younger brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Pakistan sent its army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Turkey sent its intelligence chief, Ibrahim Kalin. The three countries signed the Mecca mutual defense pact in August, Al Jazeera reported.
Iranian state media published photos showing President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, at the meetings. Unverified claim, Iranian state media (state media)
What Saudi Arabia Said the Visit Was For
In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency on Oct. 26, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said the visit was part of the Mecca pact countries’ efforts “to de-escalate tensions between the parties to the current crisis, encourage dialogue and diplomatic solutions.” The ministry said the trip supported mediation by Qatar and Pakistan and stressed “the importance of opening channels of negotiation to prevent a return to military escalation in the region.”
Joint Statement: An Agreement to Keep Talking
A joint statement issued late Monday said the four countries “agreed to continue the dialogue to strengthen cooperation amongst the four regional countries, including for peace and security in the region,” according to Iranian state media as cited by Al Jazeera. Claim by Iranian state media (state media); confirmed by Al Jazeera/Reuters
A senior Pakistani security official told Reuters the talks focused on building a regional nonaggression network, and that the agenda also covered U.S.-Iran negotiations, Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports. Another Pakistani official told Reuters that Munir, with President Donald Trump’s blessing to pursue diplomacy, presented Iran with a proposal meant to offer something to both Washington and Tehran. The official did not give details, but said the Mecca pact states, along with Qatar, could act as guarantors if it were accepted.
Two regional officials who spoke anonymously told The Associated Press that the war in Yemen and Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia were also discussed.
Houthi Attacks and Iran’s Two-Week Pause Proposal
Sources briefed on the talks told The National that the Saudi, Pakistani and Turkish delegations asked Iran to persuade the Houthis to stop attacking the kingdom, and that Iran said it lacked leverage over the group. According to the same sources, Iran instead asked its guests to urge Washington to accept a two-week regional pause in hostilities, in exchange for a gradual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. These accounts come from unnamed sources and have not been publicly confirmed by any of the governments involved.
Early Tuesday, Saudi-led coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said three ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis toward Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province had been intercepted, along with four drones headed toward the south of the kingdom. He said there were no casualties. For more on the shipping risk around Hormuz, see our report on the tanker disabled in the Strait of Hormuz.
Unverified Report: Nuclear Weapons Discussed Privately
A source with knowledge of the talks told The Boston Report that the delegations privately discussed nuclear weapons. The Boston Report has not independently verified this account, and none of the four governments has publicly confirmed it. Unverified claim, Unnamed source (single source) None of the public statements or reports cited in this article mentions nuclear weapons as a topic of the Tehran talks.
What Iranian Officials Said
Rezaei said the visit showed that U.S. “threats have little impact on countries around the world” and spoke of a “new and positive atmosphere” in the region, according to Al Jazeera. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei had said before the talks that the meeting, proposed when Munir visited Tehran the previous week, could be a first step toward regional security arrangements.
No date has been announced for the next round of talks. The Boston Report will update this story as officials release further details. Background on the regional picture is in our Oct. 26 briefing.
Sources
- Al Jazeera / Reuters: Iran, Saudi, Turkiye and Pakistan agree to more talks amid Houthi attacks (Oct. 27, 2026)
- Saudi Press Agency: Saudi Foreign Ministry statement on the Tehran visit (Oct. 26, 2026)
- The National: Inside Tehran talks (Oct. 27, 2026)
- Associated Press: High-level delegations meeting in Tehran to avert more war (Oct. 26, 2026)
Additional sources
- Al Jazeera: Mecca defence alliance members in Tehran to defuse Iran-US, Yemen tensions (Oct. 26, 2026), with comment from Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group, who said the visit was “an attempt to tip the balance in favour of those willing to compromise before the guns start blazing again.”
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