CAIRO – Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey traveled to Tehran on Monday in an effort to prevent another round of fighting involving Iran, Israel and the United States, according to two regional officials.
The diplomatic push comes as anxiety grows across Iran over the possibility of a return to full-scale war. Israeli and American leaders have intensified their warnings ahead of elections in both countries, while Iran’s leadership has continued to take a defiant stance.
Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Turkey’s intelligence chief were expected to hold talks with Iranian security officials and negotiators. Their goal was to encourage an agreement between Tehran and Washington.
The discussions were also expected to address Yemen’s war and attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels against Saudi Arabia, the officials said. They spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to brief journalists.
An Iranian official, who also requested anonymity, confirmed that the foreign delegations had arrived in Tehran.
Saudi Arabia said in a statement that the visitors were seeking “ways to de-escalate tensions, enhance regional security and promote its stability.”
Concerns over a fresh escalation have mounted ahead of Israel’s election on Tuesday and the U.S. midterm elections on Nov. 3. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, said over the weekend that Tehran had not abandoned diplomacy and that indirect messages were still reaching Washington through intermediaries.
However, Baghaei said negotiations had made little progress because the United States appeared committed to unilateral demands. He also criticized President Trump and other U.S. officials for repeatedly calling for “complete surrender,” a formulation he said no Iranian would accept.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu renewed his warning Sunday that Iran or groups aligned with Tehran might attempt to disrupt the election before voting concludes. He said the warning was based on intelligence.
“The (military) is ready both to defend and to strike,” Netanyahu said in a video statement. “You will suffer disproportionate blows far greater than you can imagine.”
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Israel’s Channel 12 reported Sunday evening that Netanyahu had clashed with the military chief of staff over an order to undertake an “action” that army officials feared could rapidly reignite hostilities with Iran.
Netanyahu dismissed the report as nonsense while appearing on Channel 14. Israel’s military did not immediately issue a response.
Yemen has emerged as an expanding theater in the conflict with Iran, which began in February. The Houthis have stepped up attacks on Saudi Arabia, accusing it of backing Yemen’s internationally recognized government in its battle against the rebels.
The fighting escalated after forces aligned with the recognized government, supported by a Saudi-led coalition, carried out airstrikes on Sanaa International Airport, which is controlled by the Houthis. The July strikes effectively ended a 2022 ceasefire that had largely halted Yemen’s civil war.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said early Monday that the group had launched ballistic missiles at military positions and weapons storage sites operated by Saudi-backed government forces in Aden and Lahj provinces. He claimed the attacks destroyed equipment and caused military casualties but offered no evidence.
The Associated Press was unable to independently confirm the claims.
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Associated Press journalists Victoria Eastwood in Cairo, Natalie Melzer in Tel Aviv, Israel, and David Rising in Bangkok contributed to this report.
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