Saudi Arabia to host Arab, Islamic ministers to discuss Iran war

2026-03-18 - 20:10

Saudi Arabia will host ​a consultative meeting of foreign ministers from ‌a number of Arab and Islamic countries in Riyadh on Wednesday to discuss ways to support regional security ​and stability given the Iran war, the ​kingdom’s foreign ministry said. A Turkish diplomatic source ⁠said separately that representatives from Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, ​Kuwait, Pakistan, Qatar, Syria, Turkey and the United ​Arab Emirates would attend the meeting. There are scant signs of de-escalation nearly three weeks into the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran ​that has engulfed the region and caused unprecedented ​disruption to global energy supplies. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who intends ‌to ⁠visit other countries after Riyadh, will underline the need for a negotiated and peaceful end to the war, which if continued risks lasting damage ​to ties ​between regional ⁠countries, the diplomatic source said. NATO-member Turkey, which neighbours Iran, had sought to mediate ​between Iran and the United States ​before ⁠the war began. It has condemned U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran as a violation of international law, ⁠and ​also criticised Iran’s attacks on ​Gulf states as unacceptable.