Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a joint defence agreement in Mecca on Friday that commits the three countries to regard an armed attack against one member as an attack against all three. The agreement comes as the war against Iran, Houthi attacks and disruption to shipping routes put pressure on security across the Middle East.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the agreement during talks in the Saudi city, according to Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry.
The ministry said the pact seeks to strengthen collective deterrence and deepen existing defence cooperation between the three states.
“Any armed attack against any one of the three states shall be regarded as an attack against them all,” the ministry said.
The pact follows months of negotiations. Reuters reported in January that the three governments had been discussing a defence arrangement. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan already had a bilateral agreement under which an attack against either country would be treated as an attack against both.
The full obligations under the new three-country agreement have not been disclosed.
The three countries have had military cooperation for years. Pakistan has trained and provided technical support to Saudi forces for decades. Turkey and Pakistan have cooperated on military training and equipment, while Saudi Arabia agreed in 2023 to purchase Turkish drones.
Reuters reported in May that Pakistan had deployed about 8,000 troops as well as fighter aircraft, drones and an air-defence system to Saudi Arabia.
The three governments reached the agreement during a period of conflict across the region. Saudi territory has faced retaliatory attacks linked to Iran and Iran-aligned groups since the US and Israel began strikes against Iran on 28 February.
The war has also disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which carried about one-fifth of global traded oil and liquefied natural gas before the conflict. Shipping traffic has fallen as operators avoid the waterway.
Iran and Oman have been negotiating an arrangement for commercial traffic through the strait. Tehran has said work on an agreement has reached its final drafting stage.
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he expected the conflict with Iran to end soon and claimed he was involved in negotiations with Tehran.
Iranian parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf disputed Washington’s account of the diplomatic process. Writing on X, he accused Trump of switching between threats of military action and offers of negotiations.
“Using bullying + broken promises + fake news as leverage is a failed strategy,” Ghalibaf wrote.
The security situation has also deteriorated around Saudi Arabia’s southern border and in Yemen.
Iran-aligned Houthi forces launched missile and drone attacks against Yemeni government military positions in Marib and Hadramout on Thursday.
The Houthis said they launched the attacks after detecting a Saudi military build-up. Yemen’s internationally recognised government said its forces would respond.
Saudi authorities also accused the Houthis of shelling civilian areas in Najran province early on Friday. Eleven people were injured, including seven Saudi nationals and citizens of Yemen, Egypt and Pakistan, according to Maj Gen Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition.
The Houthis have increased attacks against Saudi interests during the past month and announced what they described as a maritime embargo against the kingdom. Saudi Arabia has responded with strikes against Houthi positions and has formed a naval coalition to protect shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The conflict has placed pressure on Saudi Arabia’s security arrangements with the United States. Riyadh has relied on Washington as its main external security partner for decades while expanding military relations with other countries.
HT