Iran’s foreign ministry observed on Monday that a new mutual defence agreement concluded last week among Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan reflects "a sign of a change in the perception" of regional powers toward the United States.

Speaking at a weekly press briefing, foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei characterized the alliance as evidence that regional capitals are re-evaluating their security dependencies.

"The countries of the region have realised that security is not a commodity that can be bought from false brokers," Baqaei stated, directing his critique at Washington, a traditional security partner to all three signatory nations.

He added that "Countries in the region cannot rely on the claim of security provided by the US as in the past."

Despite geopolitical observations that the trilateral arrangement aims to counter Iranian influence, Baqaei dismissed concerns that the coalition poses a direct threat to Tehran.

Pointing to "deep religious, historical and civilisational ties" binding Iran with Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, the spokesperson declared that there was "no reason to worry that this treaty will be against Iran".

The tripartite pact was finalized on Friday amid an ongoing five-month military conflict involving the United States and Iran, a confrontation that has ensnared neighboring nations and disrupted maritime shipping channels across the region.

Clarifying the operational scope of the accord, Pakistan’s foreign ministry noted on Friday that the treaty establishes a mutual defence framework wherein an attack against any single member state will be treated as an assault on all, describing the treaty as "intended to strengthen collective deterrence".

Meanwhile, geopolitical analysts view the coalition as a dual-purpose strategy designed to deter an increasingly assertive Iran while hedging against perceived inconsistencies in American strategic commitments.

Source: AFP