TEHRAN, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Tuesday that Tehran does not view the trilateral defense agreement between Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Pakistan as a threat.
Responding to a question at a weekly press conference in Tehran, Baghaei said, "We see no reason to consider the treaty between three Muslim states, which have been repeatedly threatened by Israel directly or indirectly, as a threat against ourselves."
He added that the region's Islamic countries have concluded that they cannot rely on U.S. promises for their security, as Washington's primary concern "is to protect Israel's interests," and that they must resort to cooperation and promotion of trust among themselves to ensure their security.
"Within this framework, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been in talks with these countries," Baghaei said. "Türkiye is also a very important neighbor and has good relations with us, and we will certainly continue our consultations across all areas."
The Makkah Joint Defense Agreement was signed on Aug. 7 in the Saudi city of Makkah by Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif.
The agreement seeks to strengthen joint deterrence amid growing regional and global instability. It stipulates that an attack on any signatory will be considered an attack on all. ■
