Iran mediators meet in Turkey to discuss peace push

Source: msn/Axios

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The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia met Friday on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey to discuss the efforts to reach a deal to end the war between the U.S. and Iran.

Why it matters: This was the third such "quad" meeting since the beginning of the war. While Pakistan has been the main mediator and hosted last weekend's peace talks, Egypt and Turkey have helped push the negotiations forward behind the scenes.

A source with knowledge said the "quad" meetings are aimed at maintaining coordination between the three mediators and Saudi Arabia — the most powerful country in the Gulf, with significant influence on the Trump administration, and a key stakeholder in any future peace deal.

Having the Saudis inside the tent decreases the risk they will play a spoiler role.

The intrigue: U.S. officials say the Saudis have changed their position about the war several times and presented different positions in public and in private.

Before the war, Saudi officials publicly said they supported diplomacy, while privately urging the U.S. to take military action.

Even in recent days, the Saudis told U.S. officials they were concerned about ending the war before the regime was sufficiently weakened.

At the same time, the Saudis have been telling the mediators they support a deal and want the war to end because their oil and energy infrastructure had been damaged during the war and could sustain further damage if it continues, according to a U.S. source and a second source with direct knowledge

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Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/iran-mediators-meet-in-turkey-to-discuss-peace-push/ar-AA21a9hL