What is significance of the Mecca Pact?

 by Janet Levy

Last month, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan signed the Mecca Pact, a defense alliance moving toward autonomous security arrangements and away from America’s shield. President Donald Trump hailed the pact, saying the Middle East is coming together. Some analysts called it an incipient “Islamic NATO.” But there are far too many complexities, and events are still unfolding.

For one, the pact—though three years in the making—finally took shape after the joint U.S.-Israeli military action against Iran and the subsequent U.S.-Iran MoU, brokered by Pakistan. During the conflict, Iran did not spare refineries, civilian areas, or military targets across many Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, a longtime U.S. ally. It continues to obstruct shipping, battering the economies of these oil-producing countries.

America’s participation with Israel in the attack on Iran, which triggered a crisis that the Gulf countries had not provoked, has been viewed unfavorably. Since then, Saudi Arabia has hardened its stance against both Israel and Iran, which it sees as equally responsible for regional destabilization.

Before the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel and the subsequent retaliation, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MbS) was enthusiastic about an American defense deal, a civilian nuclear program, and recognition of Israel. That enthusiasm has waned, and after the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, Riyadh is holding back on the Abraham Accords, which aim to establish diplomatic relations between Arab nations and Israel. Riyadh is also insisting on a solution to the Palestine issue.

Although MbS says he’s personally neutral on Palestinian nationhood, he acknowledges that it resonates emotionally with the Saudi people, especially the youth. Riyadh now characterizes Israel’s defensive war as “genocidal.” As for Riyadh recognizing the Jewish state—which predates Islam by 2,000 years—it seems impossible, since Islam’s most important leader would not want to be seen as violating Muslim identity and the aspirations of the global ummah.

At first glance, the Mecca Pact appears to be a Sunni alliance serving as a counterweight to both Israel and Shiite Iran. Saudi Arabia competes directly with Iran for regional hegemony. Yet inconsistencies and broader entanglements—chiefly stemming from belligerent Turkey and Pakistan—make the pact both an enigma and a potential trigger for nuclear conflagration.

The first inconsistency is that Saudi Arabia and Turkey have had a troubled relationship and have competed for influence in the Sunni world. During the 2011 Arab Spring, relations turned bitter when Ankara supported the protests. During the Saudi-led blockade of Qatar in 2017, Turkish troops tried to help Qatar break the blockade, which was seen as open hostility.

When Riyadh outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) and declared it a terrorist group in 2014, Ankara supported and financed popular MB-inspired uprisings. The 2018 killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Ankara—allegedly by Saudi agents on MbS’s orders—was another flashpoint. From these lows, the two countries have moved toward rapprochement and a strategic alliance.

The second inconsistency is that Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have a history of failing to honor defense agreements. The Mecca pact includes a clause similar to NATO’s Article 5, which provides for a collective response to an attack on a member. But it’s nebulous and unlikely to work in practice.

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/09/what-is-the-significance-of-the-mecca-pact/