"An attack against one is an attack against all": Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye seal a defense pact

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey concluded a defense pact on Friday linking the three countries in a context marked by attacks against the Saudi kingdom and the war in the Middle East.

The Gulf country, where the agreement was signed, intends to strengthen its security alliances as it has been targeted by Iran in retaliation for American bombings and is facing a resumption of hostilities with the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The announcement by these three Washington allies sends a message to Tehran, but also to the United States, which is perceived as an increasingly unreliable partner, according to experts.

"The agreement aims to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression and stipulates that any armed attack against one of the three states will be considered an attack against them all," the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said, with Turkey seeing it as "an important contribution to the preservation of peace" in the region.

It was signed in Mecca by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

"The issue had been under discussion for a long time, but recent developments in the region have accelerated the pace," said a source close to the Saudi army on condition of anonymity, while at the beginning of the year, Turkey's participation still seemed to be ruled out according to Riyadh.

The three Sunni Muslim countries have in common that they are participating in efforts to resolve the conflict between Iran and the United States, which has inflamed the region and shaken the global economy.

Detaching from Washington

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are also already bound by a mutual defense agreement concluded in September 2025, the result of a long tradition of military cooperation.

His announcement had raised many questions, as Islamabad possessed the atomic bomb.

On Friday, Riyadh denied any link with "nuclear ambitions" and asserted, like Ankara, that this pact did not target any country in the region.

"This agreement is one of the clearest signs to date that the Middle East is moving away from a security order organized exclusively by the United States," comments Andreas Krieg, a security expert at King's College London.

According to the analyst, this announcement supports Saudi Arabia's ambitions to become the godfather of regional security and to diversify its defense. For Turkey, also a NATO member, and Pakistan, it's about gaining influence and attracting Saudi investment.

This rapprochement "is clearly directed against Iran," notes Oumar Karim, a specialist on Saudi Arabia at the University of Birmingham.

For him, the alliance "aims to respond to Tehran's new strategic approach, "which intends to dominate the entire Gulf region and control maritime traffic in strategic waterways, whether it be the Strait of Hormuz or the Bab el-Mandeb Strait."

The Stakes of Hormuz

For Saudi Arabia, the world's leading crude oil exporter, the opening of maritime passages is essential.

The Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait had become alternative routes as Iran has once again sealed off the Strait of Hormuz since the resumption of clashes with the United States in July.

But the Yemeni Houthis, backed by Iran, have recently imposed a blockade on Saudi ships and are also threatening shipping at Bab el-Mandeb, on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula.

The agreement between Riyadh, Islamabad and Ankara comes at a time when progress seems to be emerging regarding Hormuz: Tehran has assured that it has agreed with the Sultanate of Oman, another coastal country, on a new transit route for ships.

But any reopening will depend on Washington, which has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports, Iranian authorities have warned.

In addition to the maritime front, Saudi Arabia has been targeted on its territory by the Houthis, who have targeted oil infrastructure in recent weeks.

The Riyadh-led coalition, an ally of the Yemeni government since 2015, also accused the rebels on Friday of carrying out bombings in the border region of Najran, which injured 11 civilians, an unprecedented attack in the kingdom since the 2022 truce between the two sides.

AFP