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Iran has reportedly been invited to join the newly formed Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, which was signed between Pakistan, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia.
News18
A defence alliance that was being viewed as a new strategic grouping of Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan could be headed for a dramatic twist. Iran has reportedly been invited to join the newly formed Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, according to a report by Al Mayadeen citing a senior Iranian official. However, the reported invitation has not yet been officially confirmed by Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye or Pakistan, yet.
If the report is eventually confirmed and Tehran accepts, it would be a remarkable development. Iran and Saudi Arabia spent years on opposite sides of Middle Eastern conflicts and only recently began rebuilding diplomatic ties. Now, the two could potentially find themselves under the same regional security umbrella.
And for India, the implications would go well beyond West Asian geopolitics.
What Is The Mecca Pact?
The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement was signed on August 7 by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Its central principle is that an armed attack on any one of the three countries would be treated as an attack on all three. The agreement is intended to strengthen collective deterrence and military cooperation.
This provision has inevitably prompted comparisons with NATO’s collective-defence principle.
But calling it an “Islamic NATO” is, for now, more headline-friendly than technically accurate. The pact does not have NATO’s integrated military command, institutional structure or decades-old alliance architecture. Analysts have instead described it as an attempt by three influential Muslim-majority powers to create a stronger regional security framework and reduce their dependence on outside powers.
The agreement came amid an exceptionally volatile regional environment, including the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel, attacks involving Iran and its regional allies, and disruption to energy shipments. Saudi Arabia, in particular, has increasingly sought ways to strengthen its own security options rather than rely entirely on Washington.
Why Would Iran Be Invited?
When the pact was signed, Iran was effectively one of the most obvious powers outside the grouping. Tehran has historically viewed Saudi Arabia as a regional competitor, while Riyadh has been deeply concerned about Iran’s missile programme, regional allies and influence stretching across Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.
But the Saudi-Iran relationship has changed. The two countries restored diplomatic relations in 2023 after years of hostility, with China playing an important mediating role. Since then, both sides have had an interest in preventing their rivalry from spiralling into a direct regional confrontation.
An Iranian entry into the Mecca framework would therefore represent a potentially dramatic evolution: instead of building a security arrangement primarily to deter Iran, Saudi Arabia and its partners would potentially be trying to bring Iran into that architecture.
There is also a practical reason. Pakistan has emerged as an important intermediary in the region. Pakistani army chief Asim Munir is due to visit Tehran on Monday, with talks expected to include regional peace and security, the new Pakistan-Türkiye-Saudi agreement and the wider Iran crisis. Pakistan has been mediating between Iran and the United States amid continuing tensions.
Türkiye too has positioned itself as a bridge rather than simply another combatant in the region’s rivalries. President Erdogan recently urged US President Donald Trump to pursue talks with Iran and said Türkiye would continue working with Washington, Tehran and regional mediators including Pakistan and Qatar.
The reported Iranian invitation comes at a moment when diplomacy and regional security calculations are becoming increasingly intertwined.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has explicitly said the pact is open to additional countries, which is particularly relevant now that Iran has reportedly been invited. “Beyond these three countries, others may join us at any time. It is not limited to Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan,” he had said earlier.
What Happens If Iran Actually Joins?
A pact that began with three predominantly Sunni powers would suddenly include the region’s most important Shia power. That would make the alliance much harder to describe simply as a Sunni military bloc. It could also turn the Mecca Pact into a regional mechanism through which countries with competing interests try to prevent another major war.
But there is a huge question mark. What happens when members disagree about who is the aggressor?
The collective-defence clause sounds simple until two members have conflicting strategic interests. Iran and Saudi Arabia, despite their diplomatic rapprochement, still have substantial differences. Yemen, the Gulf, Israel, sanctions and Iran’s regional alliances remain complicated issues.
So Iranian membership could strengthen the pact politically while simultaneously making its military commitments much harder to operationalise.
It would also force Saudi Arabia and Iran to demonstrate whether their rapprochement is merely diplomatic risk management, or the beginning of something deeper.
What Would It Mean For India If Iran Joins The Pact?
India has spent years building relationships with both Saudi Arabia and Iran, while maintaining its own strategic interests with the United States, Israel and the wider Gulf.
Saudi Arabia is now a major strategic partner for India. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s April 2025 visit, the two countries expanded the India-Saudi Strategic Partnership Council and created ministerial mechanisms covering political and security cooperation, defence, economy, energy, investment and technology.
At the same time, Iran remains important to India’s connectivity strategy. The clearest example is Chabahar.
India signed a 10-year contract in May 2024 for the development and operation of the Shahid-Behesti terminal at Iran’s Chabahar port. The project is strategically important because it gives India an access route to Afghanistan and Central Asia that does not depend on Pakistan. That makes a stable Iran particularly important for India.
If Tehran joins the Mecca Pact and the arrangement genuinely helps reduce tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia, India could potentially benefit from a more predictable West Asian environment.
For Indian businesses, shipping routes and energy markets, fewer military confrontations in the Gulf would be welcome news.
There is another major factor – the International North-South Transport Corridor. India’s broader connectivity ambitions through Iran are tied to routes linking the Indian Ocean with Central Asia, Russia and Europe. Chabahar is an important piece of that strategy. Any improvement in Iran’s regional relationships could make such connectivity projects easier to pursue, although sanctions and infrastructure bottlenecks would remain major obstacles.
But there is a complication for India too – Pakistan. Pakistan’s presence in the pact makes the equation more complicated.
India and Pakistan remain strategic rivals, and Islamabad’s formal role in a regional security bloc involving Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and potentially Iran could give Pakistan a larger diplomatic footprint in West Asia. Türkiye’s presence is also noteworthy given its increasingly close defence and political relationship with Pakistan.
But India has one important advantage: it is not dependent on choosing one side. India’s relationships with Riyadh and Tehran serve different strategic purposes. Saudi Arabia matters enormously for energy, investment, the Gulf economy and the welfare of millions of Indians living in the region. Iran matters for connectivity, Central Asia and Chabahar.
That gives India an incentive to welcome de-escalation without becoming part of any regional bloc.
West Asia Moving Towards A New Security Order?
The Mecca Pact is already being viewed as part of a broader attempt by regional powers to take greater responsibility for their own security. Saudi Arabia wants stronger deterrence. Türkiye wants a larger regional role. Pakistan wants to leverage its military and diplomatic influence.
If Iran now enters the picture, the calculation changes dramatically. It could transform the pact from a three-country defence arrangement into the nucleus of a much wider regional security mechanism.
But it is still too early to call this a breakthrough.
For now, the Iranian invitation remains a reported development, not a confirmed membership decision. And even if Tehran accepts, turning historical rivals into reliable security partners will be far harder than putting their signatures on the same document.
Key Questions Answered
Ask News18Iran’s entry into the Mecca Pact could reshape West Asian security and strengthen regional control over key energy routes. It could also help reduce tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia, potentially benefiting India with a more predictable West Asian environment.
Ask News18About the Author
Pragati is a News Editor at news18.com. Having headed the Business and Viral sections, Pragati now ideates, writes and edits long-form features and articles on national and global affairs. She ensures…Read More
August 24, 2026, 09:00 IST
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