The Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the Pakistani Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, were received in Jeddah by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman on August 7, 2026, to sign a mutual defense pact. Photo Turkish Presidency Press Office/AFP
On Friday, Aug. 7, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman hosted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to seal a joint defense agreement. The announcement comes as Saudi Arabia expects imminent coordinated attacks by Iraqi militias and Yemen’s Houthis under the direction of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In reality, however, the development is the culmination of efforts that had already accelerated after the 12-day war against Iran in June 2025. Those efforts sought to counter the Iranian threat while also counterbalancing Israeli hegemony in the region — a move that more clearly defines a new regional axis under Riyadh. In yesterday's news Saudi warns of imminent 2-front attack by Iran allies A more aggressive Saudi ArabiaHesham Alghannam, a researcher at Carnegie...
On Friday, Aug. 7, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman hosted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to seal a joint defense agreement. The announcement comes as Saudi Arabia expects imminent coordinated attacks by Iraqi militias and Yemen’s Houthis under the direction of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In reality, however, the development is the culmination of efforts that had already accelerated after the 12-day war against Iran in June 2025. Those efforts sought to counter the Iranian threat while also counterbalancing Israeli hegemony in the region — a move that more clearly defines a new regional axis under Riyadh. In yesterday's news Saudi warns of imminent 2-front attack by Iran allies A more aggressive Saudi ArabiaHesham Alghannam, a researcher at...
