Saudi, Pakistani and Turkish Delegations Meet in Tehran to Try to Head Off Renewed War
High-level delegations from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey were in Tehran on Monday for meetings with Iranian authorities aimed at averting renewed fighting in the Iran war, two regional officials told the Associated Press.
The delegations were to meet Iran's top security officials and negotiators to push for a deal between Tehran and Washington, according to the AP. The talks come as many in Iran brace for a possible return to all-out war ahead of the Nov. 3 U.S. midterm elections, the AP reported.
Who Is in Tehran
Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Ibrahim Kalin, the head of Turkey's intelligence service, were taking part, the AP reported. An Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed their arrival.
Saudi Arabia said in a statement that the delegations hoped to find "ways to de-escalate tensions, enhance regional security and promote its stability," according to the AP.
Qatari mediators were in Tehran on Sunday, working in coordination with the United States as part of ongoing efforts to ease regional tensions, a regional official told the AP.
Iran Says the Door to Diplomacy Is Still Open
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, said over the weekend that Tehran had not closed the window of diplomacy and that messages were being passed to the U.S. through intermediaries, the AP reported. Baghaei said the U.S. appears to be persisting in unilateral demands and objected to the phrase "complete surrender," which he said President Trump and U.S. officials repeatedly use and which he said no Iranian accepts.
Pakistan and Qatar helped broker an agreement in June aimed at having Iran fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping, ending a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and opening negotiations on a broader settlement addressing Iran's nuclear program, according to the AP. That deal unraveled quickly as both sides renewed attacks.
Yemen Also on the Table
The war in Yemen and strikes by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels against Saudi Arabia were also on the agenda, the regional officials told the AP. Yemen has become a widening front in the Iran war that began in February, with the Houthis increasingly targeting Saudi Arabia, which backs Yemen's internationally recognized government.
Early Monday, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed the group had fired ballistic missiles at military gatherings and weapons depots of Saudi-backed government forces in Aden and Lahj provinces. He provided no evidence, and the AP said it could not independently verify the claims.
Images: Tehran skyline with Milad Tower and the Alborz Mountains (file photo), Julia Maudlin, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0; Prince Khalid bin Salman and Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon (file photo), U.S. Department of Defense, public domain.
Yossi Schmidt, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, The Digital Free Press
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Sources: Associated Press, via ABC News, "Delegations meet in Iran with Mideast on edge over potential for renewed fighting" (Oct. 26, 2026): https://abcnews.com/International/wireStory/delegations-meet-iran-mideast-region-edge-potential-renewed-137563622
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