Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan will hold emergency talks in Riyadh next week to consider an Iranian suggestion for political engagement with Yemen’s Houthis, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday.
The meeting of a committee under the Mecca defence pact comes amid escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, which has accused the group of targeting Islam’s two holiest cities.
Dar told a news conference that the three countries would discuss their response, including whether diplomacy could provide an alternative to military action. The meeting’s date has yet to be confirmed.
Iran’s suggestion remained informal and did not amount to a concrete proposal, he said.
“There is no written, solid offer. It is brainstorming between two foreign ministers,” Dar said, describing the idea as a suggestion made in good faith.
According to Dar, Tehran has distanced itself from the Houthis and Iraqi militias, while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi want the matter resolved.
Dar said he had also briefed Iranian officials on the defence agreement and Pakistan’s commitment to fulfilling its obligations.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on August 7, pledging to regard an armed attack against any member as an attack against all three.
Their military chiefs met in Riyadh on September 25 and condemned Houthi attacks.
Pakistan’s military reiterated that position on Friday, saying its senior commanders expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia and reaffirmed their commitment to protecting Islam’s holy sites.
Dar said more than six countries had expressed interest in joining the pact, but he declined to identify them or say whether all were Muslim-majority states.
Membership applications cannot be considered until the agreement becomes fully operational, a process that could take up to a year, he added.
Separately, Dar said vessels should not face fees or charges for passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The blockaded waterway has become a central bargaining issue in efforts to end the nearly seven-month conflict between the United States and Iran.
