TEHRAN/CAIRO – Senior officials from Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye met in Tehran on Monday and agreed to continue talks to strengthen cooperation on promoting peace and security in the region.

The meeting, the first of its kind among the four countries, was hosted by Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei, and attended by Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, and Turkiye's National Intelligence Organization Director Ibrahim Kalin, a statement issued after the meeting said.

"The participants agreed to continue discussions aimed at strengthening cooperation among the four regional countries, including in the realm of peace and security in the region," the statement said.

Speaking at a separate meeting with the senior officials from the Mecca Defense Alliance countries on Monday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran supports any understanding that leads to unity, solidarity, security and development in the region, according to a statement published on the website of his office.

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Pezeshkian accused Israel of committing "acts of violence and widespread crimes" in West Asia with "US support", urging Muslim states to guard against "interventionist and divisive" moves and play an active role in regional stability.

He reiterated that Iran does not seek to develop nuclear weapons and wants to continue its nuclear activities within the framework of its international rights and obligations.

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye on Aug 7 signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, under which an attack on one member is seen as an attack on all.

Sisi authorized to take measures backing Saudi Arabia

Also on Monday, Egypt's parliament approved authorizing President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to take measures to support Saudi Arabia, according to a statement by the parliament's general secretariat.

The parliament approved the authorization by a two-thirds majority during a plenary session, the statement said.

The authorization allows the president to take necessary measures to support and defend Saudi Arabia, its sovereignty and its holy sites against any external attacks, in accordance with a decision adopted by Egypt's National Defense Council on Oct 18, the statement added.

On Oct 17, Sisi said Egypt was prepared to take "any measures" requested by Saudi Arabia to defend the kingdom's security and sovereignty, but stressed that such action "requires parliamentary approval".

He called for an emergency parliamentary session to authorize intervention if requested, while stressing that he was speaking "strictly in terms of defense" rather than waging war.

Later on, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported that Egypt's parliament postponed a vote on authorizing the military to defend Saudi Arabia until Oct 26.

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The development came amid escalating hostilities between Yemen's Houthis and Saudi Arabia, with both sides exchanging attacks and military warnings in recent days.