Ankara is pushing back against speculation that its newly signed trilateral defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan is a veiled threat to Tehran. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan insists the agreement, signed in Mecca on Friday, names no specific adversary and is designed for regional self-reliance, not confrontation. Main Developments The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, includes a mutual-defence clause similar to NATO's Article 5. An armed attack on one signatory would be treated as an attack on all three, according to the text. Fidan clarified that a country under attack must formally request assistance and specify the type of support needed, ranging from intelligence and logistics to ammunition or military deployments. He stressed that no country is explicitly identified as a common threat, and those who do not attack the signatories will not be considered targets. Read also: 3 key claims in Vance's Iran nuclear statement Implementation will involve political and military committees, bringing together foreign and defence ministers and military chiefs, plus a permanent secretariat in Saudi Arabia. Joint training, intelligence sharing, logistics, threat assessments, and military interoperability are all on the agenda. Defence-industry cooperation is a central pillar, with leaders discussing how to leverage each other's military technologies. Fidan noted that preparations for the pact began nearly two years and eight months ago, suggesting it was not a knee-jerk reaction to current tensions with Iran. Background The pact marks a significant alignment of three major Muslim-majority powers, each with distinct strategic interests. Turkiye, a NATO member, brings military experience and defence technology; Saudi Arabia offers financial weight and energy leverage; Pakistan contributes a large standing army and nuclear capability. Iranian reactions have been skeptical, with officials questioning the pact's value. Mahmoud Nabavian of Iran's parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Commission warned Saudi leaders that cooperation with Turkiye and Pakistan would not guarantee their security, while Ebrahim Rezaei dismissed it as a "paper agreement". Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi avoided direct mention of the pact on X, instead urging regional states to rely on themselves and pursue "true brotherhood". He simultaneously stressed Iran's armed forces' strength and readiness, signaling Tehran's unease. Fidan framed the agreement as part of a broader push for regional security ownership, arguing that "external hegemons coming into the region do not solve the problems; they make them more acute." He described Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan as the "core countries" of this initiative. Why It Matters The pact's Article 5-style clause elevates a trilateral defence arrangement into a potential counterweight to Iranian influence in the region. Even if not explicitly aimed at Tehran, the military coordination and mutual-defence commitment send a clear signal that could reshape regional security dynamics. For Gulf states, the agreement offers an alternative security framework to reliance on Western powers, aligning with Saudi Arabia's push for greater strategic autonomy. However, the lack of operational details raises questions about how the three militaries would coordinate in a real crisis. Ankara's ambition to expand the pact beyond three members suggests a long-term vision of a broader Islamic defence bloc. Fidan stated that "under our president's vision, we should not remain limited to three countries" and that "we should grow and, if necessary, bring all countries under this umbrella." Several countries have already expressed interest, and Fidan expects Egypt to join once outstanding technical issues are resolved. This could potentially isolate Iran further, though it might also provoke counter-alliances or heightened tensions. What's Next The immediate next step is establishing the promised political and military committees and the secretariat in Saudi Arabia. These bodies will work out the practical details of how the collective-defence clause operates, including activation procedures and command structures. Negotiations with Egypt are expected to proceed, with Fidan describing it as a "natural partner" once technical issues are ironed out. The pace of expansion will signal whether the pact remains a symbolic gesture or evolves into a functional alliance. Iran's response remains a key variable, as Tehran has yet to issue an official position. The coming months will reveal whether the pact's committees convene regularly and whether joint military exercises materialize, testing the credibility of the agreement.