ElBaradei comments on the meeting of "Mecca Pact" officials in Tehran

- The former Egyptian Vice President and former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, described the meeting of prominent officials from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey in Tehran as “an important and long-awaited step.” ElBaradei wrote, in his account on the X website, on Monday: “A high-level meeting in Tehran between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan, and Iran to discuss regional security and tensions in the region...an important and long-awaited step on the right path between the countries of the region, away from the policies of American hegemony and its ally, Israel.”

Prominent officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, which together form what is known as the “Mecca Defense Alliance,” met with Iranian officials in Tehran to discuss regional coordination, on Sunday, according to what Iranian official media reported. The Saudi Defense Minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman, the Pakistani Army Commander, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and the head of the Turkish Intelligence Service, Ibrahim Kalin, participated in the meetings, according to statements by Iranian officials.

The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that the visit came within the framework of reducing escalation between the parties to the current crisis and encouraging dialogue and diplomacy, and expressed the Kingdom’s aspiration “for the parties to the crisis to deal positively and practically with the results of this visit and with the continued efforts of Qatar and Pakistan, in a way that contributes to resolving the crisis through dialogue and diplomacy.” The Saudi Foreign Ministry also stressed in its statement "the importance of opening negotiation channels to prevent the return of military escalation in the region, and in preparation for reaching an agreement that ends the crisis and achieves security and peace in the region and the world."

The Mecca Defense Pact, established in August, aims to coordinate defense and security cooperation between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. It stipulates the obligation of each country to intervene if one of the other countries is attacked, similar to the agreements in force between NATO countries.