Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan Forge 3-Nation Defence Pact as Iran War Recasts Middle East
Updated
Updated · The Week · Aug 22
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan Forge 3-Nation Defence Pact as Iran War Recasts Middle East
3 articles · Updated · The Week · Aug 22
Summary
Signed on Aug. 7 in Mecca, the agreement says an armed attack on any one of the three states will be treated as an attack on all three.
Saudi Arabia’s shift from bilateral security deals followed attacks on its territory during the Iran war, while the trio also aims to counter Iranian and Israeli influence and rely less on U.S. protection.
The pact combines Saudi financing, Turkey’s NATO-sized military and arms industry, and Pakistan’s battle-tested forces plus the Muslim world’s only nuclear arsenal; planned cooperation includes weapons production on Saudi soil.
No integrated command, joint doctrine, air-defence network or shared budget has been announced, leaving the alliance far short of a new NATO despite its Article 5-style pledge.
Yemen could provide the first real test: renewed Houthi attacks on Saudi targets and Red Sea shipping may expose how far the pact’s mutual-defence clause actually extends.