Iran welcomes Saudi-Pakistan-Türkiye defence pact
Tehran calls for greater Muslim solidarity and self-reliance as regional tensions intensify across West Asia
TEHRAN, Iran (MNTV) — Iran has welcomed a new defence agreement between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi calling for greater solidarity among Muslim-majority countries amid continuing tensions across West Asia.
Araghchi praised Iran’s armed forces in a post on X and linked their military capabilities to his call for Muslim countries to strengthen cooperation and rely more heavily on their own resources and capabilities.
He said greater unity among Muslim nations could help them confront external challenges.
The comments came shortly after Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in Makkah on Friday.
Under the agreement, an armed attack against any one of the three countries will be treated as an attack against all three, according to a joint statement issued after the signing.
The pact was signed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The three governments said the agreement would strengthen collective deterrence and defence cooperation.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the pact is technically comparable to NATO’s Article 5 principle, while emphasizing that the agreement is defensive and is not directed against any particular country.
The arrangement also provides for consultations among the three countries over the nature and scale of assistance following an attack.
The agreement comes as tensions involving Iran, Israel and Gulf states have intensified and regional governments reassess their security arrangements.
The pact also builds on the existing Saudi-Pakistani Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement signed in 2025, which established a similar principle of treating aggression against either country as aggression against both.
Iran’s response comes as Tehran continues to emphasize regional security arrangements based on greater cooperation among Muslim-majority states. Araghchi’s call for self-reliance adds a broader regional dimension to Tehran’s reaction to the new trilateral defence framework.
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
