An Iranian official said on Sunday that Tehran had received an invitation to join the “Mecca Joint Defence Agreement”, which currently brings together Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan.
If officially confirmed, the move would expand one of the Middle East’s newest regional security frameworks.
Mehdi Rahimi, head of the Iranian parliament-affiliated Khaneh Mellat news agency, said Iran had received an invitation to join and that the matter was “under review and assessment” in Tehran.
He said the growing move by regional countries towards a regional security umbrella was consistent with earlier Iranian calls for the establishment of a security system among countries in the region.
However, as of Sunday evening, the invitation had not been officially confirmed by the Iranian Foreign Ministry. Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan had also not publicly announced that an invitation had been extended to Tehran, leaving the circulating information primarily based on Rahimi’s remarks.
Mecca Joint Defence Agreement
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the “Mecca Joint Defence Agreement” on 7 August during a summit hosted in Makkah.
The agreement stipulates that any armed attack against one of the three countries will be regarded as an attack against all of them, reinforcing the principle of collective deterrence and defence.
In broad terms, the principle resembles the collective defence mechanism adopted by NATO.
Türkiye and Pakistan have stressed that the agreement is defensive in nature and is not directed against any specific country. Both have also indicated openness to other countries joining the framework in the future.
The three countries have begun developing mechanisms for military and political coordination, with the agreement reflecting a broader move towards more independent regional security arrangements amid military and political shifts across the Middle East.
Potential Regional Impact of Iranian Membership
If the invitation is confirmed and Tehran decides to join, the nature of the agreement would undergo a major transformation.
It would move from a trilateral framework comprising Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan to a broader security structure that also includes Iran, potentially reshaping part of the region’s security and alliance landscape.
Iranian membership would be particularly notable given Tehran’s historical disputes with several countries in the region.
It would also significantly weaken the interpretation that viewed the agreement, at the time of its establishment, as the nucleus of a regional alliance with a predominantly “Sunni” character.
For now, however, the prospect remains uncertain. An Iranian official says an invitation has been received, while no formal confirmation has emerged from the three signatories to the Mecca agreement.
Attention is therefore turning to Tehran’s position and whether the ongoing consultations will advance into a formal political process.
