As war with Iran approaches Saudi Arabia, it has brought in two of the Islamic world’s most powerful military powers to its defense.
Pakistan and Turkey signed a NATO-style mutual defense pact with Saudi Arabia in Mecca on Friday, consolidating their long-standing security ties into a collective defense alliance and stipulating that an attack on either “will be considered an attack against all countries.”
The promise could draw Pakistan and Turkey into a war they have carefully kept at arm’s length.
According to a statement released by the three countries, the official rationale for the agreement is to “strengthen collective deterrence against any acts of aggression” and also provides for “strengthening all aspects of defense cooperation between the three countries.”
More specifically, the deal gives Saudi Arabia a powerful new layer of protection beyond its longstanding security partnership with the United States, amid growing doubts about whether the United States can still be trusted to protect its oil-rich Gulf ally.
Turkey has the second-largest military in NATO after the United States, while Pakistan is the only nuclear-armed Islamic state.
While such a strong ally would strengthen Saudi deterrence and present a unified Sunni-led military front against the growing threat from Iran, Turkish officials told CNN that the deal is not directed against any specific actor, and the Saudi Foreign Ministry insisted that it “does not represent an effort to establish a military axis or sectarian bloc.”
Other regional countries may also join, the Turkish official added, raising the possibility that the alliance, like NATO, will attract new members.
The statement did not provide details of the commitments each had accepted, and it is unclear to what extent the agreement binds the three countries to specific military actions in mutual defense.
The deal comes even as Israel expands its military reach across the region and its ties to the conflict in Riyadh and neighboring United Arab Emirates.
Pakistan and Turkey each share borders with Iran, and both countries have strong reasons to prevent a spiraling conflict. Pakistan must manage its huge Shiite population and delicate relationship with Iran, while Turkey and Iran share concerns about Kurdish separatism despite competing elsewhere in the region.
The Iranian government repeatedly attacked Saudi targets during the war, including civilian infrastructure, energy facilities, and U.S. interests. After the April 8 ceasefire, direct Iranian attacks on Saudi Arabia largely subsided, but Iranian-backed groups in Yemen and Iraq continued to target Saudi Arabia.
Riyadh has been one of the most vocal opponents of the war and has sought to prevent US President Donald Trump from escalating against the Islamic Republic. But as Saudi Arabia continues to face attacks from multiple directions, officials are becoming increasingly wary and frustrated.
Saudi officials told CNN on Thursday that the kingdom is preparing for a large-scale coordinated attack by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Yemen, with support from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. CNN also reported that the Iranian government has warned Gulf states that renewed U.S. attacks could trigger retaliation against energy and desalination facilities across the region.
The treaty signed in Mecca on Friday therefore serves as a warning to Tehran. Another major attack on Saudi Arabia could trigger the deal, drawing Pakistan and Turkey into the conflict and dramatically escalating the war.
Iranian officials have warned that the deal does not guarantee Saudi Arabia’s security, and reactions from the Iranian government indicate dissatisfaction with the deal.
“Saudi Arabia must understand that paper agreements with Turkey and Pakistan will not bring it security, just as decades of unilateral dependence on the United States have not brought it security,” Ebrahim Rezaei, a member of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, told X.
This agreement solidifies the deepening military ties between these countries. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a formal mutual defense agreement in September last year, before Iran launched direct attacks on Saudi positions.
