Iran has reportedly received an invitation to join the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement signed by Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan, with Tehran considering the proposal, according to Iranian media reports. The report was attributed to Mehdi Rahimi, head of Iran’s parliament news agency, who said the invitation had been formally conveyed to Tehran.
The reported invitation comes just weeks after Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan signed the pact in Mecca on August 7. Under the agreement, an armed attack against any one of the three countries is to be regarded as an attack against all three, while the pact also calls for broader defence cooperation and stronger collective deterrence.
The reported move would be significant because Iran has traditionally been viewed as a major strategic rival of Saudi Arabia, while Tehran has also faced growing tensions with the United States and wider regional security pressures. Iran’s possible participation could therefore substantially alter the emerging regional security landscape.
However, the reported invitation has not been independently confirmed by Iran’s Foreign Ministry or the governments of Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan, according to several reports. The claim currently rests on remarks attributed to Rahimi and reports citing Al Mayadeen.
The Mecca pact was presented by its signatories as a defensive agreement rather than an alliance directed against a particular country. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said the agreement is intended to strengthen collective deterrence and is not directed against any state.
The agreement has nevertheless attracted considerable attention because it brings together Saudi Arabia’s financial and strategic weight, Türkiye’s military capabilities and Pakistan’s longstanding defence relationship with Riyadh. Analysts have described it as a potentially important shift toward greater regional responsibility for security, although the pact does not establish a NATO-style integrated military command or specify automatic military intervention.
Tehran’s decision could affect relations with Riyadh, Ankara and Islamabad while testing whether the agreement can evolve from a three-country defence framework into a broader regional security arrangement.
