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TEHRAN: Senior officials from the Makkah Pact countries \u2014 Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan \u2014 will hold talks with Iranian officials on regional security in Tehran on Monday, Iranian and Saudi authorities said.<\/strong><\/p>\n The meeting follows eight months of war in the Middle East and recent US and Israeli threats of renewed attacks against Iran.<\/p>\n \u201cAs agreed, Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan\u2019s Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces (COAS and CDF) and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin will participate in this meeting,\u201d said Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran\u2019s Supreme National Security Council.<\/p>\n In an interview with state television, Kani said the meeting will also include Iran\u2019s security chief Mohsen Rezaei.<\/p>\n Saudi Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Dr Rayed Krimly confirmed that the kingdom\u2019s defence minister was heading a delegation to Tehran on Monday.<\/p>\n \u201cThe visit comes as part of the continued efforts by the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement countries for de-escalation between parties involved in the ongoing crisis,\u201d Krimly said in a post on X.<\/p>\n It is aimed at \u201cpromoting dialogue and diplomatic solutions, in support of the mediation efforts carried out by the State of Qatar and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan\u201d, he added.<\/p>\n War has engulfed the Middle East since late February when the United States and Israel launched a wave of surprise attacks on Iran, just as Washington and Tehran were in the middle of negotiations on Iran\u2019s nuclear programme.<\/p>\n An April ceasefire brought an end to the initial phase of intense bombardment but the two sides have continued to vie for control of the Strait of Hormuz, through which around a fifth of the world\u2019s oil and liquefied natural gas used to travel.<\/p>\n