Mecca pact countries, Iran agree to continue talks on regional peace after Tehran meeting

Senior officials from Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye met in Tehran on Monday and agreed to continue talks to strengthen cooperation on promoting peace and security in the region.

The meeting, the first of its kind among the four countries, was hosted by Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei, and attended by Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, and Türkiye's National Intelligence Organization Director Ibrahim Kalin, a statement issued after the meeting said.

"The participants agreed to continue discussions aimed at strengthening cooperation among the four regional countries, including in the realm of peace and security in the region," the statement said.

Speaking at a separate meeting with the senior officials from the Mecca Defense Alliance countries on Monday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran supports any understanding that leads to unity, solidarity, security and development in the region, according to a statement released on the website of his office.

Pezeshkian accused Israel of committing "acts of violence and widespread crimes" in West Asia with "U.S. support," urging Muslim states to guard against "interventionist and divisive" moves and play an active role in regional stability.

He reiterated that Iran does not seek to develop nuclear weapons and wants to continue its nuclear activities within the framework of its international rights and obligations.

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye on Aug. 7 signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, under which an attack on one member is seen as an attack on all.

Mecca pact countries, Iran agree to continue talks on regional peace after Tehran meeting

The Pentagon is prepared to launch new and potentially major military operations against Iran "within 96 hours of receiving” an order from U.S. President Donald Trump, CNN reported on Monday.

According to the report, "sufficient" forces are now deployed in the Middle East to carry out the potential strikes.

Some U.S. officials believe Trump's order could come any time before the end of the year, most likely after the upcoming U.S. midterm elections, and the scope of new U.S. military operations would likely go beyond efforts to simply "mow the lawn" or maintain the status quo by striking radars, launchers and other Iranian assets that can be quickly reconstituted, it added.

U.S. intelligence officials believe Iran and the Houthis are unlikely to carry out preemptive escalatory attacks against American personnel or Israel at this point but would not hesitate to respond if Iran is targeted first by U.S. or Israeli forces, the report said.

The New York Times reported last week that the United States and Israel have developed specific plans for renewed strikes against Iran after the U.S. midterm elections, with targets likely to include Iran's energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and missile and drone arsenal.

It noted that it is far from certain that Trump will approve fresh strikes, as he has repeatedly canceled plans for a return to major combat this year.

US prepares fresh Iran strikes after midterms: report