Mecca Defence Alliance formalizes structure in Istanbul amid US-Iran strikes
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye have officially named their mutual defence pact the 'Mecca Defence Alliance' and established a secretariat in Riyadh, with the first secretary-general to be a Pakistani official. The inaugural meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee in Istanbul focused on operationalizing the agreement, which was signed in August, through joint exercises and defence industrial cooperation. While the alliance is described as open to expansion and not targeted at any specific state, it emerges against the backdrop of renewed US-Iran hostilities, including recent strikes on Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz. Analysts remain divided on whether the pact represents a structural shift in regional security or a symbolic gesture, noting the lack of integrated command structures compared to NATO.