Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey Sign 3-Nation Mecca Defence Pact as US Influence Wavers
Updated
Updated · The Independent · Aug 18
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey Sign 3-Nation Mecca Defence Pact as US Influence Wavers
3 articles · Updated · The Independent · Aug 18
Summary
The 7 August Mecca Joint Defence agreement commits Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey to treat an attack on one as an attack on all, creating a Nato-style regional security bloc.
Iranian retaliatory attacks after February’s US-Israeli strikes that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with fears of expanding Israeli military action, drove the three states to tighten security coordination.
Experts say the pact signals a post-Abraham Accords realignment: the three countries still work with Washington, but are building a middle-ground axis wary of Israeli ambitions and US unpredictability.
Trump praised the deal as burden-sharing by allies, yet analysts say its real significance is a shift toward intra-regional power centers led by Turkey and Saudi Arabia, with nuclear-armed Pakistan adding weight.
The alliance has not been tested militarily—Houthi attacks on Saudi targets have continued—but analysts say its biggest near-term impact may be diplomatic, and Erdogan has already floated Egypt as a possible member.