Iran reacts to Saudi-Pakistan-Turkey defence pact

Iran has reacted to the Saudi-Pakistan-Turkey defence pact signed last week, saying it is being seen as a sign of a shift in the region's countries' approach towards the United States. Israeli media outlet The Times of Israel reported this on Monday, August 10.

Iran's Foreign Ministry said the defence pact signed between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan last week is a sign of a change in the region's countries' attitude towards the United States.

In a weekly briefing, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the countries in the region have realised that security is not a commodity. It is not something to be bought from a fake broker.

Baghaei said there is no reason for Iran to be concerned that the security pact was aimed at Tehran.

He said any plan based on the geopolitical and historical realities of the region could help strengthen security and prevent instability and exploitation created by the Zionist enemy and its allies.

Earlier on Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the 'Makkah Pact'. The pact states that an armed attack on any of the three countries will be considered an attack on all.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told the state-run Anadolu Agency, "We did not define any joint threat in writing. Countries that will not attack the signatory countries will not be considered targets."

Fidan described the pact as "strategically" similar to NATO's Article 5 collective defence clause, under which an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.

The Turkish Foreign Minister said the response to any attack would depend on the situation. He said the country under attack would need to request assistance and specify what kind of support was needed, which could range from intelligence and logistics to ammunition or the deployment of military units.

Source: Al Jazeera