Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan to sign joint defense deal amid regional turmoil

Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will sign a joint defense agreement on Friday, regional sources with direct knowledge of the matter said, ​at a time of regional turmoil with Gulf states coming under fire from Iran after Iran was attacked by the US and Israel.

While the pact further cements a burgeoning grouping of major Sunni ​Muslim powers, there was no immediate clarity on each state's commitments.

A Turkish ​official confirmed the agreement will be signed.

Türkiye is a member of NATO. Saudi Arabia, another US ally, is one of the world's top oil exporters and the strongest ​Gulf state, while Pakistan is the only nuclear-armed Muslim country.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip ​Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, accompanied by powerful army chief Asim Munir, ‌will ⁠meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah for the signing.

The pact follows nearly a year of negotiations, reported by Reuters in January, and comes as the Iran war exposes Gulf states' security vulnerabilities and disrupts the shipping of oil and other key goods through the Strait of Hormuz.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in January that Ankara favoured a broader regional security platform to promote cooperation and stability.

An ​existing Saudi-Pakistani ⁠pact treats an attack on either as an attack on both and encompasses "all military means," a Saudi official previously told Reuters.

The Pakistani military and ⁠government did ​not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Saudi ​Arabia's government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Cover: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan departs for Saudi Arabia on a one-day working visit from Ankara, Türkiye, on August 7, 2026. /VCG)