Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan have signed a joint defence agreement, avoiding a potential escalation in regional conflict with the United States and Iran.


The pact was announced in Mecca after a meeting between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.


Pakistan’s foreign ministry stated that an attack on any of the three states would be regarded as a collective assault, thereby tightening security cooperation amid maritime disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.


This is the second step for the coalition. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan had earlier signed a joint defence pact last year, which sets the groundwork for the expanded trilateral alliance.


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