The Mecca Pact: U.S. Building Anti-Iran Alliance with Turkey, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia
I see U.S. ears behind the scene... this is an anti-Iranian action, trying to separate Pakistan and Saudi Arabia from their support of Iran.
When Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement in August 2026, many observers read it as a defensive pact or regional power-sharing arrangement. Ambassador Aghajanian offers a different reading: it is fundamentally a U.S.-engineered structure designed to isolate Iran and prepare the diplomatic and military groundwork for eventual conflict.
Her analysis hinges on recognizing U.S. strategic leverage over all three signatories. Turkey, a NATO member, is already integrated into Western military planning. Pakistan has been subject to repeated U.S.-orchestrated regime changes, most recently in 2022 when Imran Khan was removed after refusing to authorize U.S. drone operations. Saudi Arabia has long-standing security dependencies on American military support. By formalizing their alliance in Mecca, these three countries provide each other political cover while creating a legal framework under which ground operations against Iran become feasible. Aghajanian emphasizes that the U.S. lacks the ground forces for a direct assault on Iran; it needs neighboring states to provide that manpower.
The pact also serves to separate Pakistan and Saudi Arabia from their historical relationships with Iran, rewiring Middle Eastern alignments away from multipolarity. Aghajanian notes that Israel’s role has diminished from its historical ‘most favored nation’ status in U.S. Middle East policy, replaced by a broader coalition architecture. This shift reflects both Israel’s strategic setbacks in recent regional conflicts and Trump administration calculations about burden-sharing. The agreement codifies what might otherwise remain secret intelligence and military coordination, lending legitimacy to actions that would otherwise expose participants to international criticism.
Transcript
Dziunik Aghajanian: I have heard different opinions on this Mecca agreement, some very eagerly trying to explain it as But I have an awkward feeling that this is probably a double-sided sword. On one side, you might think that these three countries are getting together in order to come up with some kind of a new forward-looking architecture for their security. But I see, I'm sorry to say, I see US ears behind the scene and I'm more inclined to look at it as an anti-Iranian action, trying to separate Pakistan and Saudi Arabia from their support of Iran in this particular game, I would call it, because we see different roles being played out. And as you rightfully mentioned, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have been allies to US for decades. Turkey is a NATO member and definitely cannot dance away from its responsibilities