Updated

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a mutual defence pact in Mecca under which an attack on any one of the three would be treated as an attack on all, an agreement struck against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The trilateral arrangement marks a significant realignment in regional security architecture. Turkish officials moved quickly to insist the pact was not directed at Iran, saying it was a defensive framework rather than a bloc aimed at any particular state. Ankara's reassurance came amid speculation in the region that the agreement was intended to counterbalance Tehran. Analysts cited in further coverage said Iran does not appear to view the pact as an immediate threat, with Iranian officials instead focusing on what they see as evidence of a diminishing US security role in the region. Tehran has not issued a formal condemnation, and commentary from Iranian sources has emphasised the pact as a symptom of Gulf states hedging against reliance on Washington. The three signatories have varying relationships with Iran, ranging from Pakistan's long land border and periodic security frictions to Turkey's economic ties and Saudi Arabia's China-brokered detente with Tehran. How the arrangement affects Iran's regional calculations remains unclear.