ISLAMABAD: Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye agreed on Monday to continue talks on regional peace and security after their first four-country meeting in Tehran, according to a joint statement released following the discussions.

The meeting brought Iran together with the three signatories to the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement, signed in August by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. The pact treats an armed attack on one member as an attack on all three.

The talks took place as Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis intensified attacks on Saudi Arabia and regional governments sought to prevent renewed large-scale fighting between Iran and the United States and Israel. Strikes on Gulf infrastructure and disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have widened the conflict’s economic impact.

“The participants agreed to continue the dialogue to strengthen cooperation among the four regional countries, including for peace and security in the region,” the joint statement said.

It announced no agreement on how the countries would address the fighting or when they would meet again.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei hosted the meeting, attended by Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Pakistani army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin.

The three visiting delegations also met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who expressed support for understandings that would strengthen regional unity, according to Iranian state news agency IRNA. Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi accompanied Munir on the visit.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran supports any understanding aimed at strengthening the unity and cohesion of Islamic nations,” Pezeshkian said, according to IRNA.

Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, had said ahead of the talks that the meeting could help shape a regional security framework.

“This four-country meeting in Tehran can certainly be an effective and important step in shaping an indigenous regional security framework,” he told Iranian state television.

The diplomatic effort follows an escalation of attacks by the Houthis on Saudi civilian and energy infrastructure. A strike claimed by the group on Riyadh’s main airport earlier this month killed 13 people and halted operations. Saudi Arabia said two terminals reopened on Sunday, although the Houthis threatened further attacks.

The wider war began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February. Pakistan has since worked with Qatar to mediate between Washington and Tehran. An interim agreement brokered in June was intended to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and begin negotiations on a broader settlement, but subsequently unraveled. Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan said over the weekend that Tehran remained open to talks with the United States.