Iran says 4-nation talks back regional security free of outside interference

The secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council said participants in four-nation talks in Tehran on Monday agreed that security in West Asia should be based on regional states, with external interference prevented.

Mohsen Rezaei made the remarks following a meeting of delegations from Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Iran to discuss regional security, Israeli activities in the region, and developments in Palestine and Lebanon.

"We concluded that West Asia's security must be based on the countries of the region, and any external interference must be prevented," he said.

Rezaei said regional countries should have begun cooperating earlier, arguing that the Turkish, Pakistani, and Saudi delegations' visits to Tehran demonstrated that US threats had no effect at the global level.

He said talks with senior officials from the three countries had created a new, positive atmosphere.

"The four countries believe that cooperation among them offers a way out of the crises facing the region," he added.

The Iranian official also stressed that Israel must halt its attacks on Lebanon, southern Syria, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank.

Earlier Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the Tehran meeting, bringing together Iranian officials and senior representatives of the Mecca Alliance countries -Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan-could mark the beginning of a regional security framework rooted in the region.