Saudi, Pakistani and Turkish delegations meet Iranian officials in Tehran to avert renewed fighting

High-level delegations from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey met Iranian authorities in Tehran on Monday to try to prevent renewed fighting between Iran and the United States and Israel. Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Turkey's intelligence head, Ibrahim Kalın, were to meet Iran's top security officials and negotiators to push for a deal between Tehran and Washington. Topics also included the war in Yemen and Houthi missile and drone strikes on Saudi Arabia. The Houthis claimed to have closed Riyadh airport. Saudi Arabia said the delegations hoped to find ways to de-escalate tensions and promote regional stability. The three countries signed a defence agreement in Mecca in August. Many in Iran fear a return to all-out war as Israeli and American leaders sharpen their threats ahead of Israel's election on Tuesday and the US midterms on Nov. 3, while Iranian leaders have stayed defiant. Brent crude traded near $116 a barrel Monday.

The left-leaning Guardian leads with the diplomacy and its regional context. It describes the Houthi attacks and the claimed closure of Riyadh airport, the possible inclusion of Iran in a new Islamic security pact, and Iranian suspicion that the Mecca deal targets Tehran, which the signatories deny. The right-leaning New York Post, running the AP report, leads with the delegations and sources the talks to two regional officials and an Iranian official, all anonymous. It adds the Saudi statement and ties the tension to the upcoming elections in Israel and the US, and to Iran's defiance. Both sides agree on the delegates, the aim of averting war and the Yemen agenda. The Guardian gives more on Yemen and the pact; the Post gives more on election timing and sourcing. The alternative American Conservative adds a distinct angle: a reported Israeli clash between Netanyahu and the IDF chief, which Netanyahu denied, plus fuel prices.