13 Dead in Riyadh Strike as Tehran Talks Open

Thirteen people died and more than 300 were wounded in an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh earlier this month. The Houthi rebels, who operate primarily from Yemen, launched the missile strike that killed the 13. The incident marks the deadliest attack on Saudi civilian infrastructure in the current conflict. Houthi forces have also warned airlines to avoid using Saudi airspace, complicating regional air traffic.

On October 26, officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey convened in Tehran for a snap meeting. The three nations form the Mecca Defense Alliance, a trilateral mutual-defense pact. They joined representatives from Iran to discuss a path toward de-escalation. A senior security official in Islamabad stated that the primary goal is to convince Iran to use its influence to stop Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. The official noted that the alliance countries are prepared to propose closer security cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Israel as a negotiating point.

The proposal hinges on the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states in 2020. The Islamabad official explained that if Saudi Arabia requests support from Israel, it may need to join that framework. Since Turkey already maintains diplomatic relations with Israel, the trio could present this scenario to Tehran if Iran refuses to rein in the Houthis. However, the official added that Iran is unlikely to soften its stance on negotiations with the United States over the ongoing war.

Azaz Syed, an Islamabad-based analyst, described the meeting as a last-ditch effort to convince Iran to reach a negotiated settlement with the United States. Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir, visited Tehran last week and reportedly delivered a final warning to the Iranian government. Syed said the three partners will ask for an end to Houthi attacks, but the key message focuses on a broader settlement. Hamidreza Azizi, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, said the immediate priority is preventing the resumption of war between Iran and the United States.

Energy transit in the Middle East has already been curtailed by the closing of the Strait of Hormuz. This waterway normally transports about one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas flows. Saudi Arabia has responded to the Houthi attacks by launching strikes on targets in Yemen. The Mecca Alliance operates under a collective security arrangement modeled on NATO’s Article 5. The pact states that any armed attack against one of the three states is regarded as an attack against them all.

The meeting also addresses rising tensions between Iran and Pakistan. Islamabad closed two border crossings between Baluchistan and Iran’s Sistan-Baluchistan Province. Pakistan also introduced changes to its E-form procedure for tracking foreign currency remittances on Iranian exports. Sources say Islamabad suspended operating clearance for Mahan Air, an Iranian airline with links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. In reaction, Iran stopped the export of Liquefied Petroleum Gas to Pakistan. This has caused gas prices to rise for domestic and commercial consumers, as Pakistan imports about 7,000 metric tons of LPG from Iran every day.

Reza Amiri Moghadam, the Iranian envoy to Islamabad, said consultations are under way to address cross-border trade issues. He noted that several hundred trucks carrying LPG have crossed the Rimdan border into Gabd on the Pakistani side. These trucks have remained there for several weeks without being unloaded. Rabia Akhtar, a professor of international relations at the University of Lahore, described the meeting as an attempt at regional crisis management rather than the creation of a new security architecture. Azizi said the meeting could help reduce tensions temporarily by keeping communication channels open, but the main problem remains unresolved because Iran wants security guarantees against renewed attacks while regional mediators have limited ability to influence Washington’s decisions.