Tehran talks continue as Saudi coalition shoots down 10 Houthi attacks

Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, and Pakistan agreed on Monday to maintain diplomatic channels aimed at regional peace and security. The decision came as the Saudi-led coalition reported intercepting a fresh wave of Houthi projectiles early Tuesday morning.

Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Maliki stated that three ballistic missiles targeting the Eastern Province were destroyed without causing casualties. Four additional drones heading toward the southern kingdom were also shot down. The coalition confirmed it had downed three more drones over Riyadh and southern regions on Monday evening, totaling ten intercepted vehicles in the latest exchange.

The meetings in Tehran marked the first high-level contact between Iran and the three signatories of the Mecca mutual defense pact since the conflict expanded to include Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Prince Khalid bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's defense minister and younger brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, led the Saudi delegation. Pakistan sent Field Marshal Asim Munir, its army chief, while Turkey was represented by intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, attended the sessions. Iranian state media published images of the officials during the negotiations. Rezaei commented that the visit demonstrated that American threats had little impact on regional countries and described a new, positive atmosphere in the area.

A senior Pakistani security official told Reuters that the discussions centered on creating a regional non-aggression network. The agenda included US-Iran negotiations, Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, the Strait of Hormuz, and the US blockade of Iranian ports. Another Pakistani official noted that Field Marshal Munir presented Iran with a proposal designed to offer benefits to both Washington and Tehran, acting with the blessing of US President Donald Trump to pursue diplomacy.

The official added that the Mecca pact states, along with Qatar, could serve as guarantors if the proposal is accepted. Esmaeil Baghaei, a spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry, previously stated that the meeting, proposed during Munir's visit to Tehran the prior week, could serve as an initial step toward broader regional security arrangements.

The diplomatic efforts coincide with rising tensions between Washington and Tehran. President Trump stated on Friday that the US might strike Iran again. Mediation by Pakistan and Qatar had produced an interim peace agreement in June, but fighting between Iran and the US resumed. This conflict then spread to a new front between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, worsening the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

The Houthis captured strategic areas along Yemen's Red Sea coast from Saudi-backed forces in a rapid offensive last month. Saudi Arabia has since increased strikes on the group. The Houthis have targeted Saudi airports, ports, and oil facilities. An attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh this month killed at least 13 people and wounded more than 300, marking the deadliest assault on the kingdom in over a decade.

On Monday, the Houthis claimed attacks on the Riyadh airport and crude oil pumping stations in western and eastern Saudi Arabia. The coalition said it intercepted the missiles and launched retaliatory strikes. These attacks destroyed five tunnels storing ballistic missiles, four launchers, and a missile depot.

The war has restricted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and increased oil and petrol prices. Egypt, a key financial and political partner of Saudi Arabia, authorized its military on Monday to help defend the kingdom.