Iranian Officials Warn Against Saudi Arabia Defense Pact

Iranian officials and state media are intensifying criticism of a defense agreement between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, warning that military cooperation linked to Yemen could threaten regional stability and increase tensions with Tehran. The pact entered its operational phase on October 5 after Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi infrastructure escalated, prompting Turkey and Pakistan to announce measures supporting the kingdom.

Under the agreement, signed in Mecca in August, an attack on any of the three countries is treated as an attack on all three. Arrangements call for Pakistani and Turkish forces to provide Saudi Arabia with military, technical and intelligence support, including defensive capabilities inside the kingdom. Officials have said the forces will not participate in offensive operations in Yemen.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei addressed reports that tens of thousands of Pakistani troops could be deployed to Saudi Arabia, expressing concern about possible regional consequences.

"We have also heard this rumor, and we hope it is not true," said Esmail Baghaei, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman.

Baghaei also cautioned against outside involvement in Yemen and raised concerns about the agreement's broader implications for Muslim countries.

"The countries of the region are well aware that any intervention in the Yemen issue could have undesirable consequences for the region," Baghaei said, adding that he hoped agreements such as the Mecca agreement would not be used "against the interests and welfare of the Muslim community."

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, without directly naming the pact, urged neighboring countries to pursue self-reliance and genuine brotherhood. He also said such agreements would not constrain Iran.

Several Iranian lawmakers have questioned the agreement's effectiveness. Ahmad Bakhshayesh, a member of parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, described it as a largely symbolic political arrangement.

Committee member Ebrahim Rezaei offered a sharper assessment, arguing that the agreement would not guarantee Saudi security.

"The Saudis should know that a paper agreement with Turkey and Pakistan will not bring them security, just as years of one-sided milking of the Americans did not bring them security," Rezaei wrote on X. "Correct your policies so that you do not have to beg others for security."

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, another member of parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, argued Thursday that Turkish and Pakistani involvement would not significantly weaken Ansarullah, the formal name for the Houthi movement, or limit its operations in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

"The entry of Pakistan and Turkey will definitely work to their own detriment," Boroujerdi told ISNA. "They should learn from history ... Saudi Arabia once had a coalition with a large number of countries, but after seven years of war in Yemen, it was defeated."

Iranian criticism has focused particularly on Pakistan because of Islamabad's prominent role in mediating between Tehran and Washington. Lawmaker Ahmad Naderi argued that joining Saudi Arabia's military efforts would undermine Pakistan's standing as a mediator.

"Pakistan's entry alongside Saudi Arabia into the war against the people of Yemen … shows that Pakistan should no longer be considered a mediator but a regional intervenor," Naderi wrote on X.

Iranian news website Tabnak described a potential deployment of Pakistani forces to Saudi Arabia as a security threat to Iran. The outlet warned that Pakistan's closer alignment with Riyadh could also intensify sectarian tensions within Pakistan and contribute to instability along the Iranian-Pakistani border.

Conservative commentator Hassan Hanizadeh similarly accused Saudi Arabia of encouraging religious divisions, pointing to a recent meeting in Riyadh involving Saudi, Pakistani and Turkish officials.

"The formation of a Shiite-Sunni polarization in the region," Hanizadeh said, describing what he viewed as the implications of the meeting.

Boroujerdi also pointed to possible domestic opposition in Pakistan, saying public attitudes toward the conflict could complicate any decision by Islamabad to become involved in the war.

Iranian state media have adopted increasingly confrontational language as the agreement has become operational, while highlighting warnings from Houthi officials directed at Turkey and Pakistan. Tasnim warned that participation in attacks on Yemen could expose both countries to retaliation against their ships, interests or territory.

"They may be directly harmed through attacks on their ships, interests and perhaps even their own territory," Tasnim warned in a Thursday commentary about possible Turkish and Pakistani participation in military operations against Yemen.