Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan pledge mutual defence as Middle East turmoil escalates

REUTERS -- Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed a joint defence agreement in Mecca on Friday, wedding ​Sunni Muslim U.S. allies alarmed at a regional conflagration that has rained missile fire onto Gulf oil exporters.

 

Iran and its allies have been firing on Saudi Arabia and other Gulf ‌states, and blockading their energy shipments, since the U.S. and Israel attacked it on February 28 in a major escalation after years of regional tumult.

The three countries said the agreement was aimed at supporting a secure and prosperous future and reinforcing their collective ability to respond to security challenges.

“The pact includes a collective defence clause. It is purely defensive in nature, pledging mutual support only for defence,” a Turkish official said. The agreement was not directed against any specific actor, was open to other regional countries, and did not abrogate or replace any existing bilateral or multilateral arrangements, the official added.

However, the three nations are particularly concerned by the increasingly aggressive military stances of both Israel and Iran, as their longtime US ally struggles to contain regional upheaval.