U.S. President Donald Trump has welcomed a new collective defense agreement among Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, calling the pact a major step toward greater security and stability in the Middle East.
The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement was signed in Mecca on Aug. 7 by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, deepening ties among three of the world’s largest Islamic countries.
“Very happy to see that Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan have recently, and finally, signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement,” Trump said in an Aug. 16 post on Truth Social.
“It shows how the Middle East is coming together, and how Countries will finally be able to defend themselves in a more meaningful way.”
He added in all caps, “This is a big, bold, and important first step.”
The agreement commits the three Islamic powers to regard an armed attack against any one of them as an attack against all three.
The pact draws together Saudi Arabia’s oil wealth and regional military strength, Turkey’s vast armed forces, and Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities.
Sharif thanked Trump for his support and said the three countries would seek to bolster security beyond their own borders.
“Together with the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Turkiye, Pakistan will continue to play a constructive role in ensuring the defence of our own countries as well as the entire region,” Sharif said in a post on X.
The Pakistani leader also credited Trump with helping avert what he called a potential “nuclear catastrophe” in South Asia, a likely reference to the president’s role in deescalating the 2025 conflict between Pakistan and India, both of which have atomic weapons in their arsenals.
Pact Described as Defensive
The language of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement closely mirrors the collective-defense language contained in Article 5 of the NATO treaty, which obliges signatories to treat an attack on one as an attack on all.
Fireworks explode over Islamabad as part of celebrations marking the signing of a trilateral defense agreement between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey in Islamabad on Aug. 9, 2026. Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said the agreement was intended to strengthen collective deterrence, improve defense cooperation, and promote regional peace and stability “in pursuit of a secure and prosperous future.”
Saudi Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Rayed Krimly said the pact was the result of years of negotiations and would help the three countries develop joint defense capabilities, improve military readiness, and integrate their responses to shared threats.
Krimly stressed that the agreement was defensive and did not represent an attempt to create a military axis, a sectarian bloc, or a nuclear arms arrangement.
“It does not constitute a threat to the security of any country in the region, nor does it represent an escalation of tensions between any two states,” he said.
The pact was reached amid heightened regional tensions due to the U.S.–Iran war and attacks on Saudi territory and shipping by Iran and Tehran-aligned forces.
Saudi Arabia has been struck repeatedly by Iran, Yemen’s Houthi terrorists, and Shiite militias in Iraq since the conflict began on Feb. 28. One day before the agreement was signed, 11 civilians in Saudi Arabia were injured in a Houthi attack.
George Friedman, founder and chairman of the Geopolitical Futures think tank, said the agreement could reshape the balance of power across the region if it develops into an effective alliance.
“For the region, it’s enormous,” Friedman said in a recent Geopolitical Futures podcast. “It creates a potential center of gravity around which the region will operate.”
Friedman said the pact leverages the respective strengths of its members to address respective gaps. He noted that Turkey possesses a powerful military—the second largest in NATO—but needs investment, while Saudi Arabia has great wealth but faces significant security vulnerabilities.
“The most dangerous thing in the world is to be rich and weak,” Friedman said. “And the Saudis are militarily weak.”
Friedman said the inclusion of Pakistan—the world’s only nuclear-armed Muslim nation—was less expected but made strategic sense because the country could bring to the table its significant military capabilities and a nuclear deterrent.
Iran has said it sees no reason to be concerned about the new security pact.
Iranian Foreign Minister Esmail Baghaei said last week that Tehran views the agreement as part of a shift in regional countries’ approach to security, with greater reliance on their own capabilities rather than outside powers.
Guy Birchall contributed to this report.
