US-Iran war: Amid the US-Iran standoff for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran has started targeting the allied US countries in the Middle East. In this backdrop, the UAE Ministry of Defence accused Iran of striking with ballistic missiles, threatening the maritime lanes. Likewise, it is targeting Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Jordan. However, geopolitical strategists were surprised when Tehran started targeting Saudi Arabia, though its proxy, the Houthis.
Global observers were astonished when Yemen’s Houthis, who have Iran’s support, said on Thursday last week that they carried out two drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, targeting what they described as a sensitive target at Najran airport and an Aramco facility in Najran, according to the Iran-aligned group’s military spokesperson Yahya Saree. This is a fresh escalation in tension between the two Middle East nations after Tehran’s air strike on Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline in April 2026. But this fresh escalation is different from the April attacks, as Saudi Arabia is now a part of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed on 7th August 2026.
What is the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement?
The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement is a tripartite defence deal among Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, which states that any armed attack against any one of the three states shall be regarded as an attack against them all. The stated rationale is to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression and to enhance all aspects of defence cooperation among the three.
What this joint defence deal means for the geopolitical establishments around three nations, Balaji Rao Mudili, Research Analyst at Bonanza, said, “The division of labour is explicit as well, with Saudi Arabia financing and funding defence projects, Turkey supplying advanced defence technology, and Pakistan providing frontline manpower. Combined, the three fields have roughly 1.4 million active personnel, with Pakistan 660,000, Turkey 481,000, Saudi Arabia 247,000, along with about 3,400 aircraft, 6,000 tanks and over 340 naval assets. Turkey has NATO’s second-largest military after the US, and Pakistan is the only nuclear-armed Muslim country.”
Why is Iran targeting Saudi Arabia, other US allies in the Middle East?
Decoding the reason for Iran’s aggression against Saudi Arabia and other US allies in the Middle East, Anuj Gupta, a SEBI-registered market expert, said, “When the US-Iran war began on 28 February 2026, it was quite clear that the US and Israel have entered the war with an aim to topple the Khameni government in Tehran and take hold of the oil infrastructure, as the US did in Iraq, Kuwait, and very recently in Venezuela. But it was not clear what Iran’s plan is to counter the mighty US.”
Gupta said that Iran is not targeting the citizens of these Middle Eastern countries. It is targeting the oil infrastructure to disrupt the oil supply to the world, as they want the US-Iran war to become dearer, not just for the US or Israel, but for the entire world. It seems they want the global community to put pressure on the US and Israel for the precarious economic situation due to the rising crude oil prices.
“The Tehran plan is simple: disrupt the oil supply and fuel the crude oil price rise. This will weigh on the global economy due to soaring inflation and fiscal deficit. So, Iran’s strategy is to prolong the war as long as they can and keep the oil supply tap off through the Strait of Hormuz and other routes.
Crude oil price holds key
Can the crude oil price continue skyrocketing? Anuj Gupta said, Tehran wants this to continue; they have used their proxy, the Houthis, to disrupt oil supply from the alternate routes to completely disrupt the fuel supply after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The Brent crude oil price is around $90 per barrel these days. Once it crosses above the psychological $100 mark and sustains above this level for even two weeks, Tehran believes global pressure will come on the US administration, bringing it to the negotiating table with enough bargaining power in Tehran’s hands. However, to do so, Tehran has no option but to ensure there is no oil supply from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. These two nations have an alternative route for the oil supply, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.
Catch 22 for Pakistan and Turkey
In Tehran’s fresh proxy attacks on Saudi Arabia, the Pakistan-Turkey-Saudi Arabia trilateral defence deal gets jeopardised. Even though the full text of the deal has never been published, Hakan Fidan, Turkey’s foreign minister, has stated that if one member is attacked, the others consult to determine the nature and scale of any assistance. That consultation step is the crucial qualifier, and it is not an automatic military trigger. However, neither Turkey nor Pakistan has uttered a single word against Iran. Any military or diplomatic mediation in Iran’s aggression against Saudi Arabia looks far-fetched.
Highlighting another part of the Pakistan-Turkey-Saudi Arabia’s joint defence deal, Balaji Rao Mudili of Bonanza said, the pact hasn’t been tested yet, wherein the Jazan attack was not a test; it was a non-state proxy strike, causing an extinguished fire, with Saudi Arabia declining to invoke anything.
Highlighting the peace broker’s role involved in this trilateral defence deal, when there is any direct border aggression against any of the other two, Bonanza expert said, “What the pact may realistically deliver is not troops but mediators with Saudi Arabia and Turkey becoming more invested in brokering Pakistan’s regional conflicts, especially with Afghanistan. Turkey’s mediation at Doha and Istanbul is exactly that role, brokering the Doha and Istanbul talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan.”
How will this deal unfold amid India-Pakistan aggression?
On how Turkey and Saudi Arabia would react if there were an Operation Sindoor-like situation between India and Pakistan, Anuj Gupta said, “Under Vision 2030, Riyadh is pursuing economic transformation, which requires strong partnerships with major economies. Saudi Arabia considers India as its long-term economic partner. Given this, Saudi Arabia undertaking any disruptive military action against India would be highly improbable.”
To understand how Turkey may react to an Operation Sindoor 2.0, we need to recognise that the trilateral pact is riddled with vagueness. First of all, even though it emphasises the principle of collective defence, it does not specify automatic military obligations within NATO. Nor does it set out a NATO-like institutional structure or military command system, or include any clause that could define a response mechanism. It is also silent on the military alliance’s common budget.
Additionally, strategic experts maintain that phrases like “an attack on one is an attack on all” do not necessarily mean an automatic declaration of war or automatic deployment of troops.
In this regard, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s statement assumes high significance. In an interview with the Turkish news outlet Anadolu Agency, he said that an attack on a member country will be considered a common threat only if that country formally requests assistance.
Is history repeating?
In September 2025, Islamabad and Riyadh signed the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement, pledging that any aggression against one would be considered an attack against both. “If either Pakistan or Saudi Arabia is attacked from anywhere, it will be considered an attack on both nations, and we will respond together,” remarked Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif after Islamabad and Riyadh signed the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement.
Yet, since the US and Israel launched combined attacks on Iran in February, Saudi Arabia has faced repeated attacks on its military and non-military assets by the Houthis and Iran. Pakistan has remained stoically silent; it has not responded militarily to attacks from Iran or the Houthis in Saudi Arabia, even though it has expanded its military presence in the Gulf country by deploying thousands of troops, fighter aircraft and drones there.
We should not forget that neither Pakistan nor Saudi Arabia nor Turkey has a history of providing military support. In December 2015, Saudi Arabia announced the formation of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC) with more than 40 Islamic countries, including Pakistan, as its members. IMCTC’s headquarters was established in Riyadh, with former Pakistan Army Chief General Raheel Sharif as its head.
On September 15, 2018, Pakistan rejected Saudi Arabia’s call for support in its fight to halt the advance of Al Houthi rebels in Yemen. In fact, Pakistan’s parliament went ahead and voted against joining the Riyadh-led military intervention in the West Asian country. This, however, was not an isolated incident of Pakistan’s breach of commitment.
So, it is highly likely that the recently inked Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed on 7th August 2026, may meet the same fate as various previous such deals, because in this world of globalisation, various aspects come to the fore when border aggression takes place.
Disclaimer: This story is for educational and informational purposes only. The views and recommendations above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, not Mint. We advise investors to check with certified financial experts before making any investment decisions.
