Regional Four

R4

Regional Four (R4)
Type	Consultative forum
Signed	March 2026
Location	Riyadh
Parties	R4 (18 March 2026) Republic of Türkiye Arab Republic of Egypt Islamic Republic of Pakistan Kingdom of Saudi Arabia E3 (23 October 2026) United Kingdom Germany France +1 (23 October 2026) Italy

The Regional Four (R4) is an informal political platform created by Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to discuss regional and international issues and to improve diplomatic coordination. Established in 2026, the mechanism has focused in particular on ending conflicts in the Middle East, supporting regional stability, the security of maritime navigation, and diplomatic initiatives to resolve crises.

The R4 is described as a consultative mechanism that operates through foreign ministers' meetings, which began in 2026. Although its members share some regional concerns, there is insufficient evidence to conclude that they adopt the same position on all foreign policy issues or that the group forms a unified political bloc that takes binding decisions.

History

Formation and early meetings

Hakan Fidan represented Turkey as host at the R4+E3 foreign ministers' meeting held on 23 October 2026.

The R4 emerged in 2026, amid a deepening security crisis in the Middle East and the growing regional effects of the conflict between Iran and the United States. The first foreign ministers' meeting among the four countries was held in Riyadh in March 2026. Anadolu Agency gives the date of the meeting as 18 March, while the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) gives 19 March.

The second meeting took place in Islamabad on 29 March, and the third in Antalya on 18 April. Discussions focused on ending the conflict between Iran and the United States, reducing tensions, and Pakistan's mediation efforts. Pakistan sought to use its relations with the Gulf states and its regional diplomatic initiatives to create ground for talks between the parties.

The fourth R4 meeting was held in Cairo on 21 June 2026. In the joint statement issued after the meeting, the four countries welcomed the Islamabad Memorandum, signed between the United States and Iran on 18 June, as a positive step toward reducing tensions. The statement praised Pakistan's mediation efforts and Qatar's contribution to bringing the talks to a conclusion. The ministers said they supported negotiations reaching a lasting, verifiable and mutually acceptable solution.

The fifth meeting was held on 5 August in Amman, on the sidelines of a ministerial conference on Jerusalem. The meeting stressed the need to continue diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions in the Middle East and to implement the US–Iran memorandum.

The sixth R4 meeting was held in New York on 21 September, during the high-level week of the United Nations General Assembly. The meeting addressed regional and international developments and the continuation of consultation and coordination. In the joint statements, the impact of Houthi attacks from Yemen on the security of Saudi Arabia, maritime navigation and regional stability were prominent issues.

Seventh meeting and the R4+E3 format

One of the topics discussed at the meeting was developments in Yemen. Political and military control in Yemen as of October 2026:

  Yemeni government led by the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) (since 2022)

  Supreme Political Council (SPC) of the Houthis (since 2016)

  Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) (since 2009)

The seventh R4 meeting was held in Istanbul on 23 October 2026, hosted by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received the foreign ministers attending the R4 and R4+E3 meetings in his office at Dolmabahçe Palace before the meeting. The R4+E3 meeting held the same day, the group's first joint meeting with European countries, was attended by the R4 members as well as the United Kingdom, Germany and France. Italy also took part in the meeting, but is not a member of the R4 or the E3.

The agenda of the meeting included the conflict between Iran and the US, the Palestinian issue, developments in Yemen, the security of maritime navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab-el-Mandeb, and the Russo-Ukrainian War. The talks also assessed the possibilities for cooperation and coordination between the regional and European countries.

After the meeting, Fidan said that the participating countries agreed that a new attack on Iran would widen the regional war. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said that a renewed escalation between the US and Iran would not benefit the parties and could negatively affect energy prices. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said that Germany, France and the United Kingdom were ready for negotiations aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

The R4 joint statement issued on 23 October is a separate document signed by the four members; not every statement in it should be regarded as the shared position of the European countries and Italy that attended the R4+E3 meeting. The statement expressed support for the Palestinians' right to self-determination and the two-state solution; condemned the Houthis' attacks on Saudi Arabia and on commercial vessels; and called for ending the conflict between Iran and the US through dialogue and diplomacy. It also stressed that safe and uninterrupted navigation in the Strait of Hormuz must be restored.

File:Bab-el-Mandeb.png

The security of maritime navigation in the Bab-el-Mandeb strait is among the issues on which the R4 consults.

In a statement after the meeting, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said that the participating countries had agreed to hold regular meetings and that Germany would host the next one. Wadephul called this format, which brings together four European countries, including Italy, with the R4 countries, E4+R4.

Relationship with the E3

File:2026 Iran war collage.jpg

Ending the conflict between Iran and the US was also discussed at the 23 October 2026 meeting.

The E3 is the trilateral mechanism through which the United Kingdom, Germany and France cooperate diplomatically on Iran's nuclear program. The cooperation began in 2003; the initiatives of the three countries later became linked to the representative of the European Union and to broader negotiation processes involving other major powers. The E3 played a role in preparing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed in 2015 and in diplomatic efforts to implement it.

Following the US withdrawal from the agreement in 2018 and Iran's subsequent breaching of the limits on nuclear activities set by the agreement, disputes between the E3 and Iran deepened. In August 2025, the E3, arguing that Iran had significantly failed to meet its obligations under the agreement, triggered the mechanism (snapback) that restores sanctions linked to United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231. The Council of the European Union decided on 29 September 2025 to reimpose a series of restrictions on Iran.

This history is significant in that the R4+E3 format brings two distinct diplomatic approaches to the same table. While the R4 emphasises regional consultation and reducing tensions between Iran and the US, the E3 advocates resolving concerns over Iran's nuclear program through negotiation. The representation of both approaches at the same meeting does not mean that the parties reached a common position on all issues.

International positions

The United States, Russia and Iran did not take part in the R4+E3 meeting. Since no statement by these countries directly opposing the format itself could be identified, their positions should be assessed by separating any explicit objection to the meeting from their general policies on the Iran war and the nuclear file.

United States

File:Strait of Hormuz.jpg

Shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz

The United States is not a member of the R4+E3 format; however, it is one of the main parties to the conflict with Iran and to the negotiations over the nuclear program. The administration in Washington lists preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and limiting its nuclear enrichment capacity among its core objectives. In contacts in October 2026, it was reported that the US wanted Iran's nuclear program to be addressed from the start of the negotiations, while Iran gave priority to reopening maritime navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and lifting the US blockade.

The US not taking part in the R4+E3 meeting does not mean that Washington is outside regional diplomatic initiatives. The R4's joint statement of 21 June 2026 welcomed the Islamabad Memorandum signed between the United States and Iran as a positive development for reducing tensions and supported Pakistan's mediation role.

Iran

File:Iran nuclear program map-en.png

Iran's nuclear program is one of the issues discussed.

Iran was also not represented at the R4+E3 meeting. Tehran maintains that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, while the US and European countries argue that the program must be limited because of the risk of acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran opposed the process of reimposing sanctions that the E3 initiated in 2025 and, together with Russia and China, rejected the legal and procedural validity of that initiative.

On 19 October 2026, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi argued that regional problems should be resolved through diplomacy and blamed the US for the insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz. Araghchi also said he supported regional security arrangements that do not require the presence of foreign powers.

This statement by Iran on security initiatives led by regional actors overlaps in some respects with the R4's approach of regional ownership. However, there is insufficient evidence to conclude that Iran has officially endorsed the R4 or R4+E3 meetings or made any commitment to take part in the format.

Russia

Russia did not take part in the R4+E3 meeting. While maintaining its strategic relations with Iran, Moscow has criticised the US and Israeli military operation against Iran and has advocated a diplomatic resolution of the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Araghchi stated in a meeting in September 2026 that there is no alternative to a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

One of Russia's fundamental disagreements with the E3 arose over the reimposition of sanctions in the Iranian nuclear file. The foreign ministers of Russia, China and Iran rejected the snapback initiative launched by the E3 in 2025 on legal and procedural grounds. This dispute shows that the parties to the R4+E3 format have not adopted a common approach to Iran's nuclear program and sanctions.

Assessment and criticism

File:Donald Trump signs Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (P20260617DT-4957).jpg

US President Donald Trump signing the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding at the Palace of Versailles.

The emergence of the R4 is regarded as an indication of regional countries' search for more regular consultation on security and diplomacy. Factors shaping the mechanism's agenda include Pakistan's mediation efforts between the US and Iran, Turkey's diplomatic contacts, and Saudi Arabia's concerns about maritime navigation and security. The R4's support in June 2026 for the Islamabad Memorandum can also be considered within this framework.

However, some analyses object to viewing the R4 as a monolithic geopolitical bloc. An assessment published by the Atlantic Council in October 2026 argues that the interpretation of the Middle East as divided into two opposing blocs may be misleading. According to the analysis, although the R4 members share some common concerns about the Iran war and regional security, they have different interests on issues such as Libya, Syria and regional economic corridors. It therefore cannot be concluded from their joint meetings that the members are aligned across all foreign policy areas.

Another analysis, published by the Al Jazeera Centre for Studies, states that the developing security coordination among Turkey, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt has emerged in the context of concerns about the US's security guarantees in the region and regional vulnerabilities. The analysis also notes, however, that differences in the countries' attitudes toward Iran and the weakness of lasting institutional structures may limit long-term strategic integration.

The R4+E3 format also raises questions of representation and negotiation capacity. The fact that the US and Iran did not take part directly means that the meeting was not a negotiation between those two countries. The meeting is better described as a platform for the participating countries to coordinate with the aim of preventing the spread of the war, securing maritime navigation, and supporting diplomatic initiatives.

The E3's history on the Iranian nuclear file is also important for understanding the limits of the format. While the European countries advocate preventing nuclear proliferation and reimposing sanctions, Iran and Russia have contested the legitimacy of the sanctions process. These differences of view show that the existence of the R4+E3 meeting has not removed the related disputes.

As of 23 October 2026, there are insufficient sources to show that a formally organised political camp opposed to the R4+E3 format exists, or that the US, Russia or Iran has announced an official position directly against this meeting format. Current criticisms mostly concentrate on the extent to which the R4 forms a coherent bloc, the differing regional interests of its members, and the influence of the E3's Iran policy on the format.

The concrete diplomatic initiatives that emerge at subsequent meetings, the extent to which the countries translate their joint statements into practice, and the areas in which they can reconcile their differing interests will be decisive in assessing the long-term significance of the R4 and R4+E3.

See also

• Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
• Mecca Joint Defense Agreement
• Iran–Turkey relations
• Nuclear program of Iran
• 2026 Iran war
• Iran–United States relations
• Strait of Hormuz
• International relations
• Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding
• Bab-el-Mandeb

References

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