Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan have signed a joint defence agreement, pledging mutual protection such that an attack on any one of them will be considered an attack on all three. The agreement was announced on August 7, 2026, following a meeting in the Saudi city of Mecca attended by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement aims to strengthen collective deterrence against aggression and enhance all aspects of defence cooperation among the three states. It also opens opportunities for joint production, technology partnerships, procurement, and greater military interoperability, according to Burcu Ozcelik of the London-based Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

This pact comes amid heightened regional tensions following attacks on Iran by the US and Israel on February 28, 2026. In retaliation, Tehran and its allies struck targets in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states and disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, critical routes for oil shipping.

Last month, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who control much of the country's northwest, announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia and targeted Saudi airports, oil facilities, and tankers in the Red Sea.

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan had already announced a joint defence pact last year, but the new agreement includes Turkey, bringing together three of the world's most powerful Muslim nations to offer mutual defence guarantees.

The agreement has drawn criticism from Tehran. Ebrahim Rezaei, a member of Iran's National Security Commission, wrote on his X account that "a paper agreement with Turkey and Pakistan does not bring [Saudi Arabia] security, just as years of unilateral milking of the Americans did not bring them security."

According to a report by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Gulf states have recalibrated their defence strategies in response to the evolving regional security environment.

Sources