A recent agreement between Iran and the Mecca pact countries to continue consultations represents a "significant step," Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday.

The remarks followed a meeting of senior officials from Iran, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan to discuss regional peace and security, held in the Iranian capital Tehran on Monday, The Caspian Post reports, citing Xinhua.

Araghchi said the recent meeting "provided a valuable opportunity to advance dialogue on regional peace and security, and to collectively address threats and challenges."

He said countering Israel's "malicious acts and aggressions is a fundamental necessity" to defend the independence and sovereignty of regional countries and prevent the war's spread.