An Iranian official revealed on Sunday that Tehran had received an invitation to join the “Mecca Joint Defense Agreement,” which includes Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, in a step that would, if officially confirmed, significantly expand one of the newest regional security frameworks in the Middle East.
Mehdi Rahimi, head of the Khaneh Millat Agency affiliated with the Iranian Parliament, said that Iran had received an invitation to join the agreement and that the issue was “under review and evaluation” in Tehran, considering that the countries of the region’s move towards establishing a regional security umbrella is consistent with previous Iranian calls to establish a security system among the countries of the region.
However, until Sunday evening, the invitation did not receive official confirmation from the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, nor did Saudi Arabia, Turkey, or Pakistan officially announce that they had sent an invitation to Tehran, which makes the information circulated so far based mainly on Rahimi’s statements.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif signed the “Mecca Joint Defense Agreement” on August 7, during a summit hosted by Mecca. The agreement stipulates that any armed attack on one of the three countries will be considered an attack on all of them, thus strengthening the principle of deterrence and collective defense.
In terms of its general idea, this principle is similar to the collective defense mechanism adopted in NATO, while Turkey and Pakistan have stressed since the signing of the agreement that it is of a defensive nature and does not target a specific country. They have also expressed openness to the possibility of other countries joining it in the future.
The three countries have already begun working on developing mechanisms for military and political coordination, at a time when the agreement reflects a growing trend towards building more independent regional security arrangements, in light of the military and political transformations taking place in the Middle East.
If Iran’s invitation is confirmed and Tehran decides to join, the nature of the agreement will witness a major shift, as it will move from a tripartite framework that brings together Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan to a broader system that also includes Iran, which may redraw some of the balance of security and regional alliances.
Iran’s accession will be particularly notable in light of the historical differences between it and a number of countries in the region. It will also largely dispel the reading that saw the agreement when it was established as the nucleus of a regional alliance of a “Sunni” nature.
As for now, the step remains within the realm of possibility: an Iranian statement confirming the existence of an invitation, in exchange for the absence of an official confirmation from the three countries that signed the “Mecca Agreement,” while attention turns to the position that Tehran will announce and whether the consultations will move to an official political stage.
