On Sidelines of Shanghai Summit, Pezeshkian Welcomes 'Mecca Agreement,' Says Iran Ready to Implement It

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan, met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday, 9 Shahrivar 1405 (August 31, 2026). According to Ecoiran, citing the Entekhab news agency, Pezeshkian welcomed the trilateral defense pact known as the "Mecca Agreement," signed by Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan on 16 Mordad (August 7), and stressed Iran's readiness to implement the agreement provided the other side honors its own commitments. Thanking Pakistan for its constructive role in the talks that led to the pact, Pezeshkian said lasting peace and security in the region can only be achieved through cooperation among regional states without foreign interference, describing the joint move by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye as a step toward strengthening unity among Muslim nations.

Sharif, for his part, said the Mecca Agreement is defensive in nature and not directed against any country, and welcomed the increased pace of diplomatic exchanges between Tehran and Islamabad in recent months. The meeting came as US Iran military tension flared again around the Strait of Hormuz, following an exchange of strikes on Larak Island, Jordan and the UAE in recent days. Pezeshkian's welcome for a regional pact and his emphasis on readiness for diplomacy, set against the simultaneous military developments, matters for Iran's currency and gold markets, which are sensitive to signs of rising or easing regional tension.