Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan Sign Joint Defence Pact Amid Gulf Turmoil

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan have signed a joint defence agreement in Mecca, aimed at strengthening collective deterrence against any act of aggression. The 'Mecca Joint Defence Agreement' stipulates that an armed attack against any of the three countries would be regarded as an attack on all.

The agreement is seen as a response to growing regional tensions, particularly with Iran, which has been firing missiles at Gulf states and blockading their energy shipments since the US and Israel attacked it in February. The three nations share concerns about Iranian hegemony in the region and the increasingly aggressive military stances of both Israel and revolutionary Shi'ite Iran.

Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said the agreement was not aimed at any specific country, while a Turkish official added that it was purely defensive and did not abrogate any existing agreements the countries had with other states. The pact builds on longstanding military ties between the three nations, which have provided training and technical assistance to each other's forces for decades.