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Iran said Monday that a new defence agreement between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan reflects a growing shift in regional countries’ perception of the United States and its role in providing security.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the three countries had recognised that regional security could not depend on external powers.
“The countries of the region have realised that security is not a commodity that can be bought from false brokers,” Baqaei said at a weekly press conference, referring to the United States, which maintains close ties with all three signatories.
He said countries in the region could no longer rely on US security guarantees as they had in the past.
Baqaei also dismissed concerns that the agreement could be directed against Iran, pointing to Tehran’s longstanding religious, historical and cultural ties with Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan.
“There is no reason to worry that this treaty will be against Iran,” he said.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed the defence pact on Friday amid heightened regional tensions following a five-month conflict between the United States and Iran. The conflict has involved countries across the region and disrupted shipping routes.
Under the agreement, an attack against one of the three signatories would be considered an attack against all, according to Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry. Islamabad said the pact was designed to strengthen collective deterrence.
Regional analysts have suggested that the agreement could also serve as a deterrent against Iran while giving the three countries greater security coordination amid uncertainty over the reliability of US commitments in the region.
Iran’s relatively restrained response suggests Tehran is keen to avoid portraying the new alliance as an immediate threat, while emphasising its growing diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia and its longstanding relations with Turkey and Pakistan.
