Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan are preparing for an urgent meeting of their military chiefs to discuss measures to support Riyadh following a new wave of attacks by Yemen’s Houthi movement, as tensions continue to spread across the Middle East.
The planned talks will take place under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, a pact between the three countries that treats an armed attack against one member as an attack against all three.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said the defense ministers discussed the escalating attacks during a meeting with their Pakistani and Turkish counterparts. The officials condemned strikes against Mecca and other civilian locations and reaffirmed Riyadh’s right to defend itself.
“The ministers also discussed arrangements for holding an urgent meeting of the chiefs of staff of the three countries to discuss ways to support Saudi Arabia under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, which stipulates that an attack against any one of the parties constitutes an attack against all parties,” the statement said.
The development followed claims by the Houthis that they had launched dozens of missiles and drones toward Saudi targets on Thursday. Saudi authorities, meanwhile, reported intercepting six ballistic missiles fired by the group.
Saudi authorities had earlier issued emergency alerts covering several locations, including the holy city of Mecca, Jeddah and Yanbu, a major oil-export facility on the Red Sea.
Grand Mufti calls on troops to fight
Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti, the kingdom’s highest religious authority, also urged members of the armed forces to be prepared to sacrifice their lives in the confrontation with the Houthis.
According to a statement carried by Saudi state media late Thursday, the Grand Mufti called on soldiers to remain prepared to fight until the Houthi movement is removed from power.
The escalation comes as the Houthis continue their campaign against the Saudi-backed government in Yemen while also targeting Saudi territory. The attacks have added pressure to energy infrastructure and shipping routes in a conflict that has increasingly become intertwined with the wider confrontation involving Iran, Israel and the United States.
Iran distances itself from Houthi attacks
The announcement of the Saudi-Turkish-Pakistani military discussions came shortly after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian sought to separate Tehran from the Houthis’ military decisions during an interview with Fox News.
“The Houthis are responsible for their own actions,” Pezeshkian told the Fox News program “Special Report with Bret Baier” on Thursday.
His comments came amid a temporary reduction in direct fighting between Iran and the United States and diplomatic efforts involving Qatar as an intermediary.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran had presented Washington with a proposal that could lead to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, provided that Iranian demands were met.
According to Araqchi, Tehran’s proposal calls for fighting to stop across the region, including in Lebanon, within seven days. He said Iran was also seeking the lifting of the US blockade on its ports, the release of frozen Iranian funds and the removal of oil-related sanctions.
“The Strait of Hormuz will be reopened on the last day,” Araqchi said, adding that negotiations on other issues, including Iran’s nuclear program, could follow.
A senior Iranian official separately told Reuters that Tehran was examining Washington’s response to its proposals.
Hormuz disruption keeps energy markets on edge
The diplomatic developments have been closely watched by energy markets. Oil prices declined on Friday as traders assessed the possibility of a ceasefire, although shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remained sharply reduced.
Only nine ships passed through the strategic waterway on Thursday, according to the report, roughly half its 10-day average.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical global energy route, carrying a substantial share of internationally traded oil. The conflict has also affected shipping through the Red Sea, where Houthi attacks have disrupted commercial traffic.
The broader confrontation has resulted in thousands of deaths and significant disruption to regional energy supplies. Although direct fighting between the United States and Iran has eased, armed groups allied with Tehran remain active in several theaters.
In Lebanon, Hezbollah has continued its confrontation with Israel, while the Houthis have maintained military operations in Yemen.
Questions remain over Iran’s role
The extent of Iran’s operational influence over the Houthis remains a subject of debate among security analysts. The movement emerged from a local insurgency in Yemen and now controls large parts of the country’s north.
Yemeni government officials, Iranian sources and regional officials have, however, said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps provided direct guidance for the Houthis’ advance along Yemen’s Red Sea coast.
The conflict has also placed pressure on Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure. Houthi attacks have affected shipping near the Red Sea, while tanker traffic through Hormuz has been significantly constrained.
An attack by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq also temporarily disrupted Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline.
Washington expands sanctions strategy
As the conflict continues, Washington has also broadened its economic pressure on Tehran.
The United States has moved toward greater use of so-called secondary sanctions, targeting companies in third countries that conduct business with Iranian entities.
Iranian airlines were barred from operating in neighboring countries including the United Arab Emirates and Oman on Thursday following new US sanctions. The restrictions represented one of the clearest immediate effects of the expanded sanctions strategy.
If the aviation restrictions remain in place, they could further isolate Iran and compound an already severe economic crisis.
“We are living in an open-air prison,” a retired teacher in Tehran told Reuters by text message on condition her name not be used.
