The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran stated on Monday that the defense pact signed last week between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan is a “sign of changing attitudes” of the countries in the region toward the United States. Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Bakai noted at a weekly press conference that “countries in the region have realized that security is not a commodity that can be purchased from false intermediaries”, referring to the US, an ally of the three pact signatories. He added that “countries in the region cannot rely on the security guarantees provided by the US as they did in the past”.
Bakai also stated that Iran is not concerned that the pact might be directed against Tehran, emphasizing the “deep religious, historical, and civilizational ties” with Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan. According to him, “there is no reason to worry that this agreement will be directed against Iran”.
Mutual Defense Agreement
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan signed an agreement — the “Mecca Mutual Defense Agreement” — on Friday amid a five-month war between the US and Iran. This war has drawn in neighboring countries and disrupted regional shipping routes.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan stated on Friday that the pact provides that an attack on any member state will be considered an attack on all. The ministry added that it is “designed to enhance collective deterrence”. Analysts noted that the agreement aims to contain Iran, which has felt more confident, and to compensate for the unreliability of the United States.
According to a joint statement by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey, the pact “provides that any armed attack on one of the three states will be considered an attack on all of them”. This wording is reminiscent of NATO Article 5.
Source: RFI
