Security · Diplomacy
Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani military chiefs move to activate the Makkah defence pact
Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani military chiefs met in Riyadh on 25 September, vowing to make the 7 August Makkah Joint Defence Agreement operational. By then, neither Ankara nor Islamabad had committed ground troops to the Saudi fight against the Houthis.
Moderate divergence
Where they split
GCC outlets stress defending the kingdom; Tehran’s IRGC hails self-reliance; Chinese commentary sees Saudi diversification; European coverage finds the pact open to Iran but untested.
The insight
Even Tehran’s IRGC, per Pakistani state radio, welcomes the pact, so the blocs argue less over its target than over whether it will fight. Al-Monitor reads Ankara’s line as defence only; Carnegie’s Michael Young reads the pact as a sign of a fading US order.
What every bloc agrees on
Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani military chiefs met in Riyadh on 25 September to strengthen defence cooperation under the 7 August Makkah Joint Defence Agreement. Coverage repeats its core clause: an armed attack on one signatory counts as an attack on all three. The meeting followed Houthi missile attacks on Saudi Arabia.
The pact in figures
- 3
- signatories; an armed attack on one counts as an attack on all
- 6
- Houthi ballistic missiles intercepted by Saudi air defences on 24 September
- 0
- Pakistani or Turkish ground troops committed by 25 September
- Oct
- Türkiye’s parliament expected to take up ratification after its recess
Terms of the 7 August agreement: Al Jazeera, Dawn, The Nation. Missile count: Al Jazeera, Dawn and The National agree. Ground troops: Al Jazeera, as of 25 September. Ratification timing: the Turkish speaker via Reuters, a forecast.
Coverage from 4 of 6 blocs: Europe 2 sources, Russia not observed, China 1 source, Iran not observed, GCC & Arab 3 sources, United States 1 source.
How each bloc frames it
Sources are grouped by where they are registered, owned and funded — not by editorial line.
United States 1 source
Ankara’s support for Riyadh stops at defence
Al-Monitor’s Ezgi Akin reads Türkiye as deliberately limiting its pact commitment to defensive help, short of offensive action against the Houthis, citing Ankara’s Red Sea interests and its ties with Iran, which backs the group.
Al-Monitor
Europe 2 sources
Open to Iran, but untested
Reuters leads with the Riyadh talks and Türkiye’s speaker saying the pact is not against Iran, which ‘can join’. Middle East Eye commentary frames it as untested, saying the allies ‘have not come to its aid’ and the American security order is ‘dead’.
Reuters · Middle East Eye
GCC & Arab 3 sources
Defending the kingdom and Makkah; allies edge closer
Abu Dhabi’s The National foregrounds Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti calling the kingdom’s defence ‘among the greatest duties’. Doha’s Al Jazeera says Pakistan and Türkiye ‘edge closer’ to the war, though neither has committed ground troops and Ankara offers help in ‘technical areas’.
The National · Al Jazeera · Carnegie Middle East Center
China 1 source
Saudi diversification, not a quick fix in Yemen
China’s CGTN, in commentary by Wang Jin, frames the Riyadh meeting as part of Riyadh’s ‘efforts to diversify its security partnerships’ amid US reluctance to enter another ‘open-ended’ war. It says the pact matters less for Yemen’s military balance than for Saudi security policy.
CGTN
Iran not observed
No Iranian outlet on record; the IRGC’s view reached us via Radio Pakistan.
Pakistan’s state radio reports IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi calling the pact ‘an effective step towards providing security by the regional countries themselves and cutting off the hands of foreigners’. No Iranian outlet’s own report was found.
Radio Pakistan
Russia not observed
Not observed in our registry between 22 September and 1 October.
No TASS coverage of the pact was found in the window.
Outcomes
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What holds up, and what does not
Log in to see what holds up, and what does not
How it unfolded
- 7 AugSaudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan sign the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement
- 31 AugThe pact’s strategic committee meets in Istanbul
- 24 SepForeign ministers meet in New York; six Houthi ballistic missiles intercepted
- 25 SepMilitary chiefs meet in Riyadh and vow to make the pact operational
- 25 SepTurkish speaker says Iran ‘can join’; ratification expected in October
- 29 SepIRGC spokesman calls the pact ‘an effective step’, per Radio Pakistan
Where it is written, and where it lands
Coverage clusters in Pakistan, Qatar and London, while exposure lands on Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the two allies asked to back Riyadh.
Where the Makkah pact is written and felt
Coverage — where it is written Coverage is written mostly from Pakistan, Doha and London, with Abu Dhabi and Beijing adding commentary; Tehran’s view arrives via Pakistani state radio and Washington’s via Al-Monitor analysis.
Impact — where it lands Saudi Arabia faces Houthi missiles and Yemen is the battlefield; Pakistan and Türkiye carry the pact’s commitments; Iran is floated as a member; Britain and France back Saudi defences; the US role is questioned.
Sources on this topic
Wire copy is attributed to the originating agency and not counted twice.
| Source | Bloc | Registered in | Date | What it led with |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reuters | Wire agencies | United Kingdom | 25 Sep | Military chiefs meet in Riyadh on closer ties |
| Middle East Eye | Europe | United Kingdom | 21 Sep | Houthis upend regional order; Saudis biggest losers |
| The National | GCC & Arab | United Arab Emirates | 25 Sep | Urgent chiefs’ meeting as Grand Mufti rallies troops |
| Al Jazeera | GCC & Arab | Qatar | 25 Sep | Pakistan and Türkiye edge closer to Saudi war |
| CGTN | China | China | 26 Sep | Mecca pact tested by Yemen |
| Radio Pakistan | Outside the six blocs | Pakistan | 29 Sep | IRGC calls Makkah pact ‘an effective step’ |
| Dawn | Outside the six blocs | Pakistan | 25 Sep | Chiefs meet on assisting Riyadh under Makkah pact |
| The Nation (Pakistan) | Outside the six blocs | Pakistan | 26 Sep | Chiefs vow swift implementation of defence pact |
| Al-Monitor | United States | United States | Why Türkiye draws the line at defence | |
| Carnegie Middle East Center | GCC & Arab | Lebanon | 22 Sep | Three ruptures and the end of Pax Americana |
Method
Iran’s view comes only via Pakistani state radio; no Iranian, Saudi or Russian outlet’s own report was found. Al-Monitor’s analysis carries no exact date.