The Mecca Pact could be an opportunity for Iran

The Mecca Pact ranks among the most momentous developments to have reshaped the Middle East since the upheavals that followed the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023. Though defensive in nature, the agreement — which creates a mutual defense commitment between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey — could have major repercussions for the regional balance of power. Much hinges on how its signatories define the threats they must face and, more critically, on how other regional players, especially Iran and Israel, react to its creation. Although the pact has come into being amid the ongoing U.S.‑Iran co