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Talks ahead of next week’s US midterm elections aimed at preventing an intense new round of war

<img align='right' src='https://images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/q_auto/c_fill,g_faces:center,h_3667,w_5500/744230' alt='People burn the flags of the US and Israel in Tehran, Iran, April 8, 2026. (photo credit: MAJID ASGARIPOUR/REUTERS)' title='People burn the flags of the US and Israel in Tehran, Iran, April 8, 2026. (photo credit: MAJID ASGARI

<p>Federal ministers on Thursday responded to Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s remarks regarding a recent huddle in Tehran comprising the Makkah defence pact countries and Iran.</p> <p>Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the meeting was not related to defence. Hence, Asif said his presence was

<p>Defence Minister Khawaja Asif responded on Thursday to Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s remarks regarding the former’s non-participation in a recent huddle in Tehran.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2040129">meeting</a> brought together officials from member countries of the Makkah Defence Alliance — Saudi Defe

<p>Defence Minister Khawaja Asif responded on Thursday to Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s remarks regarding the former’s non-participation in a recent huddle in Tehran.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2040129">meeting</a> brought together officials from member countries of the Makkah Defence Alliance — Saudi Defe

<p>LAST month, I <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2030558/irans-emergence">argued</a> in this space that Iran is emerging as a big regional power to our west. The question I left hanging was whether it would use its newfound centrality to avenge the past or to build a future. Last week offered the first real glimpse of an answer.</p> <p>On Oct 26, Saudi Ar

<img align='right' src='https://images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/q_auto/c_fill,g_faces:center,h_3668,w_5500/744085' alt='US Vice President JD Vance speaks at a midterm campaign rally on October 28, 2026 in Kinston, North Carolina. (photo credit: Tierney L. Cross/Pool via REUTERS)' title='US Vice President JD Vance speaks at a midterm campaign ra

<p>HELD amid the threat of a renewed US-Israeli attack on Iran and escalating conflict in the Arabian Peninsula, the <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2040129">meeting</a> between Iranian leaders and members of the Makkah Defence Alliance was deeply significant — though it remained unclear whether the talks had produced any major breakthrough. The quadrilat

A day after Saudi Arabia and its two defence-pact partners sent senior officials to Tehran, sources say the clearest outcome is a promise to keep talking, not a deal to de-escalate on any front, including the Houthi attacks on Saudi cities. Officials from the three Makkah pact countries , Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, flew to Iran as part of a push for

Officials from Iran, Pakistan, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia held talks in Tehran in an effort to stop further escalation.

Delegations arrive in Tehran for security talks

<p>Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday called for “regional unity” at a meeting in Tehran with representatives of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, which recently signed the Makkah defence pact.</p> <p>“I hope that the presence of representatives of important and influential Islamic countries at this meeting will help further consolidate regional

Countering Houthi advances in Yemen will be a major focus for Saudi Arabia and its allies in Tehran.

<p>Officials from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye are currently meeting in Tehran, according to Iranian state media.</p> <p>The meeting brings together Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye to discuss “regional cooperation, the US-Israeli aggression against Iran and its consequences”, among other topics, Iran’s state broadcaster said.</p> <p>Iran’s <em

This will be the first high-level contact between Iran and all members of the three-nation bloc since Saudi Arabia was drawn deeper into the wider Iran conflict.

Top officials from Mecca Pact countries Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan are to meet Iran's leaders in Tehran on Monday in their first high-level contact since the kingdom became a pressure point in the wider Iran conflict.

<p>Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye will travel to Tehran on Monday, according to an Iranian and a Saudi official.</p> <p>Iran’s state-run <em>IRNA</em> news agency quoted the deputy secretary of Iran’s top security body, Ali Bagheri Kani, as saying that the visit was part of efforts to implement the idea of endogenous security in Wes

Saudi Arabia 's Minister of Defence Prince Khalid bin Salman made a surprise visit to Tehran on Monday in a major push for de-escalation in the Middle East amid intensifying Houthi attacks on Saudi cities and fears of a renewed full-scale war between Iran and the US. Pakistan 's army chief of staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Ibrahim Kalin, the director o

Investors are worried about the vulnerability of Saudi energy infrastructure and the risk of another disruption to production, refining or export facilities.

<img align='right' src='https://images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/q_auto/c_fill,g_faces:center,h_537,w_822/743554' alt='National flags of Pakistan (L) and Saudi Arabia flutter at Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs premises in Islamabad on March 29, 2026. Foreign ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey met on March 29 for talks

Iran's security chief to meet defence officials from the Mecca Defence Alliance in Tehran as fighting rages in Yemen.

Quân đội Iran thông báo bắn rơi UAV Lucas, được Mỹ sao chép từ mẫu Shahed-136, trên bầu trời thành phố Bandar Abbas.

US President Donald Trump sarcastically responded to a reporter asking about possible renewed attacks on Iran.

<img align='right' src='https://images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/q_auto/c_fill,g_faces:center,h_2585,w_3877/743401' alt='Women carrying weapons resembling shoulder-fired missiles ride in a truck during a pro-government National Army Day demonstration on April 17, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. (photo credit: Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)' title='Women carry

Iran top general says US military vessels will not be allowed to enter the Gulf "under any circumstances."

Israel can inflict devastating damage on Iran, but analysts question its ability to overthrow Tehran’s government.

An Iranian performer in Tehran’s busy Tajrish Square has impersonated US President Donald Trump behind bars.

As US sanctions expand to Iran's rail sector, Tehran is relying more heavily on overland links with China and Central Asia. But capacity constraints, delays and costs limit rail's ability to replace maritime trade.

Iran reportedly shot down a U.S. combat drone over the Strait of Hormuz early Tuesday, local media reported. Tasnim reported that a new, advanced air defense system destroyed the M...