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An Iranian official said on Monday that senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan would visit Tehran for talks on regional security, although no date has been announced.
Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan’s army chief General Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin would attend the meeting with Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei.
The four-party meeting could be an important step towards establishing lasting regional security, Kani told state television, expressing hope that the initiative would help create a stable region.
He said the proposal was made during a visit by Munir to Tehran last week but gave no further details about the timing or agenda.
The diplomatic initiative comes as the Middle East remains engulfed in conflict following surprise US and Israeli attacks on Iran in February, launched while Washington and Tehran were negotiating over Iran’s nuclear programme.
An April ceasefire ended the initial phase of intense bombardment, but tensions have persisted over control of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies previously passed.
Iran has since asserted control over the strategic waterway and repeatedly targeted vessels attempting to cross without its authorisation. The United States, meanwhile, has imposed a naval counter-blockade on Iranian ports.
Diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran remain stalled, particularly following the collapse of a June agreement intended to establish a path towards a permanent settlement of the conflict.
The war has also spread to other parts of the region, including fighting between Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen.