Here’s a sentence I didn’t expect to write this fall. Saudi Arabia’s defense minister sat down in Tehran on Monday with the leaders of the country whose allies have been firing missiles at his kingdom for weeks. And he didn’t come alone. Pakistan’s army chief and Turkey’s intelligence chief were in the room too.

While that was happening, the missiles kept coming, a European country agreed to keep guarding Saudi oil, and the war in Yemen ground on. Let me walk you through it.

The Tehran Meeting

On Monday, October 26, Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, the crown prince’s younger brother, flew to Tehran with Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir and Turkey’s intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin. Reuters, AFP, the AP and the Washington Post all reported the visit. On the Iranian side, state media showed President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and security chief Mohsen Rezaei.

These three visitors aren’t random. Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed the Mecca mutual defense pact in August, which treats an attack on one as an attack on all. This was their first joint high-level visit to Iran since the war spread to Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

The goal, in Riyadh’s words, was to open channels to “prevent the return of military escalation.” The AP reported that the Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia were on the table, citing two regional officials. A senior Pakistani official told Reuters the talks focused on building a regional nonaggression network, and that Munir, with President Trump’s blessing, brought Iran a proposal meant to offer something to both Washington and Tehran. No details were given.

The outcome? A joint statement saying the four countries “agreed to continue the dialogue,” according to Iranian state media. No deal, no date for the next round. Rezaei called the talks “very good” and said he sensed “a new and positive atmosphere.” I’ll believe it when the missiles stop.

The Billion Dollar Report

You may have seen a headline that Saudi Arabia offered a billion dollars for peace. Here’s what was actually reported. The Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom, citing unnamed Gulf diplomatic sources, said the Saudi visit was aimed at a ceasefire deal in which Saudi Arabia would send $1 billion to the Houthis, routed through Iran. One source even claimed the money was carried on the minister’s plane.

Two things to know. First, the reported money was for the Houthis, not for Iran itself. Second, it’s unconfirmed. A Saudi official did not confirm any transfer, and every other outlet I found was repeating the Israel Hayom report. Treat it as a rumor until someone else stands it up.

Greece Says It’s Staying

Now the piece that got less attention than it deserves. On Sunday, October 25, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis flew to Riyadh and told Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that Greece would answer yes to the kingdom’s request to keep its Patriot air defense battery in Saudi Arabia “during these difficult times,” according to his office.

This isn’t a brand new deployment. Greece has had that battery in the kingdom since 2021, protecting energy facilities at Yanbu on the Red Sea. But Athens had been renewing the mission one month at a time, and a review was due at the end of October, according to Greek press. Instead of winding down, a European NATO member just said it’s staying open-ended, with no end date announced. That’s a real signal.

Who Else Is on the Ground

Pakistan’s military spokesman told CNN on October 7 that Pakistani forces “are already there” in Saudi Arabia, without saying how many. Reuters confirmed the statement. Israel Hayom, for its part, says Pakistan and Turkey have sent only advisers so far, so how much real muscle is in place is still an open question.

And Egypt? That’s been in motion for a couple of weeks. Here’s the short version:

• Egypt’s National Defense Council signed off around October 18, and parliament formalized it on October 26 by a two-thirds vote, letting President el-Sisi send support if Riyadh asks. Cairo says it’s defensive only, with no attack on Yemen.

Meanwhile, the War Goes On

The talks didn’t quiet anything. On Sunday and Monday, the Houthis claimed they struck Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport with a ballistic missile right after it reopened, and claimed drones hit Saudi oil pumping stations. Those are Houthi claims. The Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted a ballistic missile aimed at Riyadh, and early Tuesday it said it shot down three ballistic missiles aimed at the Eastern Province and seven drones over two days, with no casualties.

The coalition hit back on Monday, saying it destroyed four missile launchers, a missile depot and tunnels. Inside Yemen, the government’s offensive, called Dawn of Yemen, is in its fourth week, with fighting in Marib, Taiz, Saada and other provinces, according to Al Jazeera and the Saudi outlet Ajel. Ajel reports more than 250,000 people displaced since early August.

The Bottom Line

Saudi Arabia is doing two things at once. It’s gathering friends with guns, Greek Patriots, Pakistani troops and an Egyptian permission slip, and it’s sending its defense minister to talk to Iran. That’s not a contradiction. That’s leverage. Whether Tehran can actually get the Houthis to stand down is the question nobody has answered yet, and until they do, I’d watch the sky over Riyadh more than the press releases out of Tehran.

Steve Poplar is the publisher of The Poplar Report.