Archive · 8 Aug 2026
US faces diminished West Asia role after Pakistan-Turkiye-Saudi pact
Pakistan, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia made a special agreement to protect one another.
If one of them is attacked, the other two will treat it as if they were attacked too.
Leaders of the three countries signed the agreement during a meeting in Saudi Arabia.
Some news outlets call it the 'Mecca Joint Defence Agreement.'
Experts say this could mean the United States will no longer be the main protector in that part of the world.
People in the Gulf region started to doubt whether America could keep them safe.
One expert said many American military bases were destroyed during a recent war with Iran.
The same expert thinks Qatar and Kuwait will soon join similar agreements with Pakistan.
He also says Gulf countries now worry more about Israel than about Iran.
A retired general thinks the agreement could help stop future fights between Pakistan and India.
Pakistan, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia signed a trilateral joint defence agreement under which an attack on one member is treated as an attack on all three.
The pact, dubbed the 'Mecca Joint Defence Agreement' by Al Arabiya, was signed during a meeting in Saudi Arabia by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Defence analyst Abdullah Hameed Gul said 17 of the 27 US military bases in Gulf countries were destroyed by Iran during the recent US-Iran war, fuelling regional doubts about US security guarantees.
Gul said America's role in the region 'has been minimised — or is effectively over,' and predicted Qatar and Kuwait will soon join similar agreements with Pakistan.
Analyst Muhammad Mehdi said the pact elevates Pakistan's standing in West Asia and Central Asia, while retired Brigadier Farooq Hameed said the collective-defence clause could deter future Pakistan-India conflict.
- Who
- Pakistan, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia, whose leaders Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed the pact; Pakistan-based defence analysts commented on it.
- What
- A trilateral joint defence agreement, dubbed the 'Mecca Joint Defence Agreement', under which an attack on one member is treated as an attack on all three.
- When
- Signed on a Friday, according to the reports; the exact date is not specified.
- Where
- Signed during a meeting in Saudi Arabia; the pact concerns the West Asia and Gulf region.
- Why
- Rising security concerns amid escalating West Asia tensions and growing doubts in the Gulf about the United States' ability to provide security guarantees.
- Parties
- Pakistan, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia
- Pact nickname
- 'Mecca Joint Defence Agreement' (per Al Arabiya)
- Core provision
- An attack on one member is treated as an attack on all three
- Signatories
- PM Shehbaz Sharif, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
- Signing setting
- Meeting in Saudi Arabia on a Friday
- Context
- West Asia war and revived conflict in Yemen
- Alleged US base losses
- 17 of 27 US military bases in Gulf countries destroyed by Iran, per analyst Abdullah Hameed Gul
- Predicted future members
- Qatar and Kuwait, per analyst Gul
