On Monday, Saudi Arabia’s Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman arrived in Tehran. He will partake in talks between the countries that signed the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement (Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan) and Iran. These talks are significant and will test the new agreement.
The Makkah Joint Defense Agreement is a defense agreement, partially modeled on NATO. Some have questioned how the agreement will function, however. The Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia led to questions about whether Turkey and Pakistan would help Riyadh.
Tehran presents a new test for the agreement: can its member countries produce results? Skeptics have argued that the three countries aren’t giving the agreement the bite to match its bark. Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Turkish Intelligence Chief Ibrahim Kalin will also be in Iran. Notably, these men are some of the region’s heavy hitters.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that Iran’s hosting of senior military and security officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey is a key development toward establishing regional diplomacy. He added that this could help with lasting stability and security in the Middle East.
Baghaei then argued that such stability could be achieved only if the region’s countries worked together. This suggests the region needs to handle its own problems without the US.
It’s unclear if the US and Israel will sign on. The two have openly said that the war with Iran will continue.
Most Israelis see the US-Israel relationship as larger than just one person
US President Donald Trump has twice endorsed Israel’s prime minister to remain in power. He has, in essence, argued that the US cannot work with anyone else in Israel when it comes to war with Iran. This is surprising to many Israelis because most see the US-Israel relationship as larger than just one person. In fact, most Israelis agree on the need to confront Iran.
Iran, for its part, knows that Israel has ordered the toppling of its regime. After all, it can read the news like anyone else. Iran also knows of reports that say the IDF was reluctant to carry out strikes right before Israel’s elections. The presence of high-level Turkish, Pakistani, and Saudi delegations in Tehran implies that they think the war can be postponed for a few more days.
The upcoming talks may show that the Makkah Defense Agreement is more about shared interests and diplomacy instead of tanks and warplanes.
Many commentators asked whether the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement would be like NATO. NATO, however, has shown that it historically isn't about waging war; it’s more about bringing together Western democracies, with militaries training together and sharing operations and culture. NATO hasn’t engaged in many wars in its 77 years since its founding in 1949. The demand from some that the Mekkah pact will immediately rush into war largely misunderstands the pact and the countries involved.
Saudi Arabia is a cautious and conservative state. Monarchies tend to be cautious and conservative; otherwise, they put themselves at risk. Turkey, by contrast, was more militarily active in 2016-2022 and has since become more cautious. Pakistan, despite recent clashes with India and Afghanistan, is also a conservative and cautious state in contrast to how it was decades ago.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan established a new trilateral security alliance in August
The background of the Makkah pact is worth examining. Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan signed the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement on August 7, 2026, establishing a new trilateral security alliance. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the agreement in Makkah.
The agreement includes a collective defense clause under which an armed attack against one member is considered an attack against all three. It also calls for expanded military cooperation, joint exercises, intelligence sharing, defense technology development, and cooperation between defense industries.
The alliance brings together three significant military powers, including nuclear-armed Pakistan and NATO member Turkey. It could have important implications for the regional balance of power and emerging security arrangements in the Middle East. The agreement also establishes a Strategic Political and Defense Committee to coordinate cooperation. Turkey published the full text in October as it moved toward parliamentary ratification.
Meanwhile, in Riyadh, Arab News said that “the Kingdom’s Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman is leading a delegation to Tehran for talks between countries party to the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement and Iran, to help ease regional tensions, Saudi Arabia’s deputy minister for public diplomacy said on Monday.”
The report added that “the meeting will be held with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and the Secretary-General of the Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei.” This is important because Riyadh views it as part of ongoing efforts by the Makkah pact states to de-escalate the current situation and encourage dialogue and diplomatic solutions, Arab News added, based on a post by Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Dr. Rayed Krimly.