From the Mecca defence pact to Tehran talks: Is the Middle East’s security landscape shifting?

Senior military and security officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey are holding talks with Iranian officials in Tehran as diplomatic efforts to ease tensions between Iran and the United States continue. Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey are members of the Mecca Defence Alliance, a security alliance established amid regional instability and concerns over threats linked to Iran and its allies. The three countries have now turned to direct talks with Tehran about regional security, even as the alliance faces growing pressure from attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels on Saudi Arabia.