Erdogan: The Mecca Defence Pact Is Not an Alliance Against Iran

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a news conference on Friday, 3 Mehr 1405 (September 25, 2026), that the Mecca joint defence agreement between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan is not directed against Iran, Israel or any third country. According to Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing Mehr, he described the agreement as reflecting "the shared responsibility of the three countries for a safer, more peaceful and more prosperous future" and said it would be wrong at this stage to speak of an automatic Turkish military response to any incident in Iraq, Yemen or elsewhere.

According to the same report, the agreement rests on the right of self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter and treats an armed attack on one of the three countries as an attack on all, but the type and scale of assistance are set by the request of the country attacked and by consultation among the parties.

The remarks came a day after the three countries' military chiefs moved toward an urgent meeting under the pact amid the fighting in Yemen.