Iran security chief meets Supreme Leader after talks with Mecca pact countries
Iranian Security Council chief Mohsen Rezaei on Tuesday met Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since succeeding his father in March, a day after holding talks with representatives of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan.
Iranian state media reported that Khamenei had stressed the importance of pursuing the country’s interests and maintaining its conditions for ending the war.
Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan visited Tehran on Monday in a bid to help de-escalate the Middle East conflict, which began when the United States and Israel attacked Iran in February.
The talks marked the first high-level contact between Iran and the three countries, which signed the Mecca mutual defence pact in August, since the war drew Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi movement into direct conflict.
Iranian state media said on Tuesday that discussions between Khamenei and Rezaei included safeguarding national and regional security by maintaining control over the Strait of Hormuz and strengthening bilateral relations with neighbouring countries.
An Iranian official told Reuters on Monday that Iran’s nuclear programme would not be discussed during the meeting with representatives of the three countries. The official said the issue would not be addressed until Tehran’s demands for ending the war were met.
Iran has rejected Western concerns that its nuclear programme is intended for military purposes.
Tehran’s conditions for ending the war include the lifting of a US blockade on Iranian ports and the removal of US sanctions on Iranian oil exports. US Vice President JD Vance said three weeks ago that Iran must reduce its nuclear enrichment activities to end the conflict.
Credit: Reuters
