Saudi, Turkish, Pakistani Military Chiefs to Meet as Iran Flights Curtailed

Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani military chiefs are preparing to discuss support for Saudi Arabia as it faces continued attacks by Yemen's Houthis, even as Iraq moved to further curtail Iranian flights in line with US pressure and an Iranian official threatened retaliation.

The Houthis have repeatedly fired into Saudi territory and struck the Saudi-backed government in Yemen, disrupting oil flows from the world's largest energy exporter. The wider Middle East war began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 and has since spread to Lebanon and the Gulf.

This week's military escalation continued despite a diplomatic push during the UN General Assembly in New York. With talks stalled and direct fire between Washington and Tehran paused, the US has shifted tactics to extend the reach of its financial sanctions by targeting companies from third countries doing business with Iranian firms through secondary sanctions.

Iranian airlines were barred from neighbouring countries including the United Arab Emirates and Oman on Thursday. On Friday, the three other Iraqi airports operating flights to and from Iran joined Baghdad airport in suspending them, sources and state media said. A sustained flight ban could deepen Iran's isolation and worsen an economic crisis already compounded by a US blockade of its seaports.

Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, accused regional countries of aligning with America for blocking flights. "If Iran does not have the possibility to fly and receive airport services, then no country in the region will have this possibility either," he said in a social media post.

The war has killed thousands and disrupted global trade and energy supplies. Iranian allies have mobilised, with Hezbollah confronting Israel in Lebanon and the Houthis advancing in Yemen, prompting a new humanitarian crisis. Iran and its allies have significantly squeezed oil exports from Saudi Arabia, a US ally. The Houthis have disrupted ship traffic at the mouth of the Red Sea while Iran has effectively limited tanker traffic at the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for 20% of the world's oil exports before the war.

On Thursday, the Houthis said they had fired dozens of missiles and drones at Saudi targets, while Saudi authorities said they intercepted six ballistic missiles fired by Houthi fighters. Later, Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti, the kingdom's top religious authority, called on soldiers to be ready to lay down their lives to fight the Houthis until the group is ousted from power.

Amid the fighting, the Saudi, Pakistani and Turkish foreign ministers met within the framework of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed in August. They condemned attacks targeting Mecca and other civilian sites while affirming Saudi Arabia's right to defend itself. A Saudi statement said the ministers discussed arrangements for an urgent meeting of the chiefs of staff of the three countries to discuss ways to support Saudi Arabia under the pact, which stipulates that an attack against any one party constitutes an attack against all.

Turkey's defence ministry said Chief of General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu would travel to Saudi Arabia on Friday to meet his Saudi and Pakistani counterparts. Ankara has previously said it could help meet Riyadh's military needs, especially on technical issues, but officials have said any support at this stage would be largely bilateral and in the spirit of their alliance, since the joint defence agreement has not yet been ratified by Turkey's parliament.

In New York, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told reporters on Thursday that Tehran had conveyed a proposal to the US via intermediaries under which the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened if Tehran's conditions were met. Under the proposal, hostilities would end on all fronts, including Lebanon, within seven days. The US would lift its blockade on Iranian ports, release Iran's frozen funds and waive its oil sanctions. "The Strait of Hormuz will be reopened on the last day," Araqchi said, adding that talks with the US on other issues, including Iran's nuclear issue, would then start. A senior Iranian official said Tehran was reviewing Washington's response to its peace proposals.

Oil prices fell on Friday as markets weighed the possibility of a truce, despite the number of ships recorded transiting the Strait of Hormuz dropping to nine on Thursday, half the 10-day average.