WorldThe meeting in Tehran is being seen as a last chance to ease Gulf tensions, as the US and Israel signal possible attacks and Iran vows to respond. Senior officials from Mecca pact members Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye have met Iranian leaders. No Iran-US peace agreement has been secured, and fighting in Yemen has spilled into Saudi Arabia.
WorldSenior officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan met Iranian leaders, and the four countries agreed to continue discussions on regional peace and security. The diplomatic engagement has intensified amid growing fears of renewed confrontation involving the United States and Israel.
WorldIran is preparing to hold high-level security talks with Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan as regional conflict risks pulling more countries into the fighting. Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in August, under which an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.
WorldSenior officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye are in Tehran in a new push for regional peace. The three signatories of the Mecca Defense pact are due to hold their first high-level engagement with Iranian officials. Riyadh says the talks aim to keep negotiation channels open, prevent escalation and help secure an agreement to end the conflict.
WorldDonald Trump said the moment to decide whether to strike a deal with Iran or resume attacks is approaching. Senior security officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey are set to meet Iranian leaders, seeking to ease tensions and revive talks.
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WorldEgypt’s parliament postponed until next week a debate on President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s request to authorise military support for Saudi Arabia, state media reported. May Darwich of the University of Birmingham told France 24 that such an operation lacks clear objectives or an exit strategy and could weaken Egypt’s regional role.
WorldEgypt is preparing to support Saudi Arabia in its conflict with Yemen’s Houthis. President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has urged parliament to authorize overseas troop deployments, saying Cairo is ready to defend its interests.
PoliticsEgypt’s parliament delayed a vote scheduled for Sunday on President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s request to authorize military support for Saudi Arabia if the Kingdom asks for it. Deliberations are due to resume Monday. Gulf State Analytics CEO Giorgio Cafiero offered his analysis.
PoliticsEgypt’s parliament is expected to vote on Monday on whether to authorize military support for Saudi Arabia if requested. President Abdel Fattah el Sisi called an urgent session to approve aid for the Gulf Arab ally’s defence. Alexandria University’s Amany Soliman offered her perspective.
WorldTurkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says Türkiye is considering ways to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s defences after recent attacks by Yemen’s Ansarullah Houthis. He says the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement is meant to deepen defence cooperation, not enable military offensives. Suay Nilhan Acikalin of Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University also weighs in.
WorldForeign Minister Hakan Fidan says Türkiye is considering ways to support Saudi Arabia’s defence after recent Houthi attacks. He says the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement is intended to deepen defence cooperation, not enable military offensives.
WorldPakistan and Turkey say they are ready to deploy troops to Saudi Arabia under a new mutual defense agreement as Riyadh continues to face attacks by Yemen’s Houthis. Islamabad is deepening its military commitment to Saudi Arabia while also mediating between Iran and the United States. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres praised Pakistan for earning the trust of both Tehran and Washington.
PoliticsTürkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia agreed to deploy troops and defence capabilities in Saudi Arabia after an emergency meeting of their foreign and defence ministers. The three countries condemned attacks on Saudi Arabia, particularly those targeting the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Middle East analyst Abdul Ghani al-Iryani commented on the development.
PoliticsTürkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have agreed to reinforce their joint defence pact and rapidly deploy forces to Saudi Arabia in response to attacks from Yemen by the Ansarullah Houthis. Saudi foreign-policy analyst Aziz Alghasian offers his perspective.
World6:49Saudi Arabia is facing attacks by Ansarullah Houthi forces from across the border in Yemen. Türkiye and Pakistan may step in to help, after agreeing at an emergency Riyadh meeting on a framework for deploying their militaries under a defence pact signed in August. Mohamad Elmasry of the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies comments.
WorldThe three signatories of the August Mecca Joint Defence Agreement held an emergency meeting in Riyadh and agreed to immediately begin the “rapid deployment” of military forces, bringing Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia together in the arrangement.
WorldTurkiye and Pakistan have agreed to rapidly deploy military forces to Saudi Arabia. After the three countries activated deterrence measures under the Mecca joint defence pact, signed in August, their defence ministers held a high-level emergency meeting on Yemen. Nawaf Obaid, a King’s College London research fellow and former adviser to Prince Turki Al Faisal, says Houthi defences are collapsing as the Saudi-led coalition’s campaign evolves.
WorldTurkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have agreed to activate deterrence measures under the Mecca joint defence agreement and quickly deploy their forces to Saudi Arabia after an emergency meeting involving the three countries’ defence and foreign ministers. Yemen’s government forces say they have retaken the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait and the port of Mocha, a claim Ansar Allah’s Houthis deny.
WorldTürkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have agreed to activate the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement and quickly deploy military forces and capabilities to Saudi Arabia after Houthi attacks. Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces also launched a major counteroffensive, claiming to have retaken Mocha, Dhubab and key positions near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The Houthis deny the claims.
WorldSaudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan are holding an emergency meeting in Riyadh as escalating hostilities between Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi-backed forces in the region test their defence pact.
WorldThe army chiefs of Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia meet in Riyadh. Hüseyin Alptekin, an international security expert and professor at the National Defence University, discusses the Mecca Pact and the gathering.
WorldThe U.S. State Department has approved a $24 billion sale of fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. Trump says CNN, MS NOW and Politico are being barred from the White House immediately, while China urges Iran to rein in the Houthis, Germany’s far-right AfD discusses restarting Russian oil shipments, and drugmakers look to space as the International Space Station winds down.
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WorldThe United States has approved the sale of 48 F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia for $24.3 billion, the State Department said Thursday. The deal is the kingdom’s latest major arms purchase since the Iran war began. Saudi Arabia has faced repeated drone and missile strikes from Iranian forces, as well as attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
World45:34Oil prices are falling as supply concerns ease and diplomacy gathers pace. Saudi Arabia is working to restore its key East-West oil pipeline and is selling more crude through the Strait of Hormuz. The US has approved a $24.3 billion sale of F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia; US and Gulf countries are due to meet during next week’s UN General Assembly, while Washington says Iranian officials may travel to New York.
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