Iran holds talks with Mecca pact nations 

TEHRAN, Oct 26: Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan held talks with Iran in Tehran on Monday in an attempt to stop the Middle East war from resuming, as Egypt authorised military support for Riyadh as the kingdom faces attacks by Yemen's Houthis.

Officials from the three Mecca pact countries flew to Iran as part of efforts to "de-escalate between the parties to the current crisis", a Saudi foreign ministry statement said.

Regional tensions have risen ahead of Israel's pivotal elections on Tuesday and next week's US midterms, where US President Donald Trump's Republicans are battling to keep control of both chambers of the US Congress.

As the talks in Tehran began, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said it was "essential to stop any escalation" in the Middle East.

"The risk to have the combination of an overwhelming military attack on Iran, and an overwhelming military attack by Iran on the countries of the Gulf, needs to be avoided at all costs," he told a press conference in Cairo.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday called for "regional unity" at a meeting in Tehran with representatives of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, which recently signed the Mecca defence pact.

"I hope that the presence of representatives of important and influential Islamic countries at this meeting will help further consolidate regional unity and cohesion," Pezeshkian said, according to a statement shared on the presidential website, urging Islamic countries to "stand together and adopt a coordinated position".

"This historic meeting in Tehran may be the last chance before escalation spirals out of control, an attempt to impose a path of de-escalation before it's too late," Hesham Alghannam, a Saudi security analyst and researcher, posted on X.

US-Iran mediation efforts have been led by Qatar and Pakistan. A Qatari delegation visited Tehran on Sunday, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said.

Andreas Krieg of London-based risk consultancy MENA analytica said Prince Khalid's presence in Tehran was "hugely significant", calling him the "strategic mastermind of Saudi Arabia".

"His seniority and proximity to the Saudi leadership send a powerful signal," Ali Shihabi, a Saudi analyst who is close to the government, posted on social media.

"Riyadh is investing serious political capital in dialogue with Iran, seeking to contain escalation and create a credible diplomatic path out of the crisis."

Recent comments have heightened speculation about renewed conflict. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday "there has been talk of a new war" but that Tehran's policies remain unchanged.�" AFP