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R4 joint statement: Israeli occupation main source of instability

Meeting in Istanbul on 23 October, the R4 ministers also condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, called for Hormuz passage to resume and held a first session with the UK, France, Germany and Italy.

By Rowan Ashby Published 24.10.26 14:51 UTC 6 min read

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who chaired the R4 meeting in Istanbul, in a 2023 file photo taken in London — U.S. Department of State / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain · Source

Key takeaways

The foreign ministers of Türkiye, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, known as the R4, issued a joint statement after meeting in Istanbul on Friday, 23 October 2026.
The R4 joint statement says "the Israeli occupation constitutes the fundamental source of instability" in the region and calls for a two-state solution based on the 4 June 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital.
The ministers condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and on Red Sea shipping, backed the US-Iran Islamabad memorandum of understanding (MoU), and called for the full, safe resumption of passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
The R4 then met the foreign ministers of the UK, France, Germany and Italy, the first meeting in that eight-country format. All agreed to keep talking in the same format.

The R4 joint statement issued in Istanbul on 23 October 2026 calls the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory the "fundamental source of instability" in the Middle East and urges the full, safe resumption of passage through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Türkiye's foreign ministry.

What happened in Istanbul

The four ministers met in Istanbul on Friday, 23 October. Anadolu Agency reported that the meeting opened that day under Fidan's chairmanship. Daily Sabah identified the other three ministers as Egypt's Badr Abdelatty, Saudi Arabia's Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

The statement was released on the evening of 23 October. Daily Sabah published it at about 19:30 UTC and Middle East Eye at about 21:21 UTC. Some Pakistani outlets dated it 24 October because Pakistan's Foreign Office put out its press release that day. The Turkish foreign ministry's own title uses the 23 October meeting date.

After the R4 session, the four ministers held an expanded meeting with France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. Dawn and Daily Sabah described it as the first meeting of the R4 with the European group. Pakistan's Foreign Office said "all ministers agreed for continued engagement in this format," according to Dawn.

Who attended

Country	Minister	Format
Türkiye (host)	Hakan Fidan	R4 and expanded meeting
Egypt	Badr Abdelatty	R4 and expanded meeting
Saudi Arabia	Prince Faisal bin Farhan	R4 and expanded meeting
Pakistan	Ishaq Dar	R4 and expanded meeting
France	Jean-Noël Barrot	Expanded meeting
Germany	Johann Wadephul	Expanded meeting
United Kingdom	Ed Miliband	Expanded meeting
Italy	Antonio Tajani	Expanded meeting

Sources: Daily Sabah, Dawn and Anadolu Agency, 23–24 October 2026.

What the R4 joint statement says

Israel and Palestine

The ministers backed a two-state solution under relevant UN resolutions and an independent Palestinian state on the 4 June 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital. They condemned settlement activity and settler violence in the occupied West Bank, called for an end to Israeli violence, and urged uninterrupted humanitarian aid and reconstruction in Gaza. Middle East Eye reported that the text says Israeli policies have "deepened global perceptions of injustice."

Yemen and the Houthis

The statement condemns Houthi escalation, including attacks on civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The ministers expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia and Yemen's government and called on the Houthis to stop their attacks and return to the political process. The meeting followed Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia, which led the US to order non-emergency staff to leave its embassy in Saudi Arabia this week.

Iran and the Strait of Hormuz

The four governments called for the conflict between the US, Israel and Iran to be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy, and for civilians and commercial vessels to be protected. They "rejected any measures or restrictions that impair lawful navigation" and called for the full and safe resumption of passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Daily Sabah reported that the text warns that disrupted shipping threatens energy, fertiliser and food supplies. The ministers also expressed support for the Islamabad MoU.

What is the R4 group?

The R4 is a foreign-minister-level grouping of Türkiye, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Anadolu Agency describes it as a mechanism the four countries set up "on the basis of regional ownership" to support stability and dialogue on regional issues. Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson called it "a mechanism to deal with regional instability," according to The Express Tribune.

According to Dawn, the bloc emerged in March 2026, and its work centres on regional security and mediation between the US and Iran. Dawn and Daily Sabah both describe the Istanbul talks as the group's sixth foreign ministers' meeting. The fourth was held in Cairo on 21 June 2026, according to the joint statement published that day, and the fifth was in New York in September, according to Dawn.

The R4 is separate from the defence pact that Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed on 7 August, which Dawn and Anadolu call the Makkah (Mecca) Defence Agreement. Egypt is not a party to that pact.

Background: the Islamabad MoU

At their Cairo meeting in June, the R4 ministers welcomed the Islamabad memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, which they said was signed on 18 June 2026. They praised Pakistan's mediation. Arab News Pakistan reported that the deal provided for a 60-day ceasefire, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a timetable for talks on a final settlement.

Since then, the deal has not reopened the strait. On 4 October, Arab News Pakistan, citing Iranian officials, reported that Tehran said the strait would stay closed until its conditions under the MoU were met. On 22 October, President Donald Trump said the US was "not negotiating" with Iran. The Express Tribune describes the current pause in hostilities as fragile. Fidan told reporters in Istanbul that "military intervention in Iran is by no means a solution," according to the same paper.

What we know and what we don't know yet

Known: The text of the statement, the eight ministers who attended, and the agreement to continue meeting in the expanded format. Dawn reports that technical teams are preparing preliminary recommendations on maritime safety and transit corridors.
Not yet known: When or where the next R4 or expanded meeting will be held. Neither the Turkish nor the Pakistani readout gives a date.
Not yet known: Whether Israel, the Houthis or Iran will respond. Bullquill had found no public response from the Israeli government or from the Houthis to the statement as of 24 October.
Not yet known: Whether the statement will change anything in the Strait of Hormuz, where traffic remains disrupted.

What it means

The statement shows four large Muslim-majority states, including NATO member Türkiye and nuclear-armed Pakistan, taking the same public line on three crises at once: Palestine, Yemen and Iran. Bringing in the UK, France, Germany and Italy gives the group a direct channel to European governments that are also pressing for Hormuz to reopen. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot warned that further US-Iran escalation "would create nothing but losers" and push up hydrocarbon prices, according to Nukta.

For energy markets, Hormuz is the key issue. Continued disruption in the strait has been a main driver of crude prices, as covered in our weekly oil brief, and has fed through to US gasoline prices. The R4 has no direct power to reopen the strait. Its influence depends on whether Washington and Tehran return to the Islamabad framework, and Fidan said he hopes the initiative "will gain continuity."

Frequently asked questions

What is the R4 group?

The R4 is a grouping of the foreign ministers of Türkiye, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. It emerged in March 2026 as a regionally owned mechanism for dialogue on regional security, including mediation between the US and Iran. The Istanbul meeting on 23 October 2026 was its sixth foreign ministers' meeting.

What did the R4 joint statement say?

It called the Israeli occupation the fundamental source of instability in the region, backed a two-state solution on the 4 June 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital, condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and Red Sea shipping, supported the Islamabad MoU and called for safe, unimpeded passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

What is the Islamabad MoU?

It is a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran mediated by Pakistan and signed in June 2026. Reported terms included a 60-day ceasefire, reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a timetable for talks on a final deal. Iran says the strait stays closed until its conditions under the MoU are met.