Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan have signed a joint defence agreement declaring that an attack on any one of the three nations will be treated as an attack on all. The pact was announced on Friday, August 7th, 2026, following a meeting in the Saudi city of Mecca between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

This agreement aims to strengthen security ties amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East, particularly as the war between the US and Iran has drawn in Saudi Arabia and disrupted shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan had previously announced a joint defence pact last year.

Iran and its allies have launched attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states and blockaded shipments following US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28th. In Yemen, Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who control the northern part of the country, have been fighting government forces supported by a Saudi-led coalition. Last month, the Houthis announced a "maritime embargo" against Saudi Arabia and targeted Saudi airports, oil facilities, and tankers in the Red Sea.

In response, Saudi Arabia has conducted strikes against Houthi positions and formed a new naval coalition to protect shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Pakistan's foreign ministry stated that an attack on any of the three states "shall be regarded as an attack against them all."

Sources