Iran has been invited to join the Makkah Defence Pact signed by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan on August 7. The development was reported by Lebanon-based Al Mayadeen, and it is being considered by Tehran reported Pakistan’s SAMAA TV. Iran's Foreign Ministry is yet to confirm that it has received an invitation to join the mutual defence agreement.&nbsp;"Iran has received an invitation to join the Mecca Agreement, and the matter is under review," said Mehdi Rahimi, head of the Iranian parliament's Khaneh Mellat news agency. He added that the countries in the region are moving towards seeking "a regional security umbrella," and "a victory for Iran, because it has been calling for this for a long time."However, the details of the invitation remain foggy, as Rahimi did not mention which country had extended the invitation, and no country has officially confirmed the development. The Makkah Defence Pact signed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had a NATO-like mutual defense stipualtion and, under which an attack on one country will be considered an attack on all. Turkey has previously publicly expressed that it wants Egypt to join the agreement. Pakistan has also maintained that it does not want the Defence Pact to be an “exclusive club”. But the pact does not establish a NATO-style integrated military command and contains very few specific military commitments.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-850-million-payment-outstanding-un-dues-1787478462717">US to make $850mn payment out of its $4bn+ outstanding UN dues</a>Tehran had been cautious in responding to the coalition, and it seeks a regional security umbrella outside of Washington's influence. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on August 10 that Tehran had "no reason for concern" over the establishment of the alliance.While the pact is born out of the chaos of the US-Iran war, regional analysts and Israeli security officials perceive the primary objective of the alliance as working as a deterrent against Israel's aggression. The pact is effectively the polar opposite of the pre-war vision of a US-brokered "New Middle East" where normalisation with Israel was the central requirement.&nbsp;Houthis are preparing to seize land along the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, which would allow them to threaten the vital shipping artery. Saudi Arabia relies entirely on Red Sea ports to export its oil amid the Hormuz crisis. So Iran’s reported invitation to the pact is highly paradoxical, as the Houthis represent the most immediate test to the alliance. It is unclear how comfortable a Sunni monarch will be with a Shia militant group on its border. For such an inclusion to work, both Riyadh and Tehran would have to reach a compromise on Yemen and the Houthis and trade concrete concessions.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Iran has reportedly been invited to join the Makkah Defence Pact signed by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, as Tehran considers a regional security framework.

Iran has been invited to join the Makkah Defence Pact signed by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan on August 7. The development was reported by Lebanon-based Al Mayadeen, and it is being considered by Tehran reported Pakistan’s SAMAA TV. Iran's Foreign Ministry is yet to confirm that it has received an invitation to join the mutual defence agreement. "Iran has received an invitation to join the Mecca Agreement, and the matter is under review," said Mehdi Rahimi, head of the Iranian parliament's Khaneh Mellat news agency. He added that the countries in the region are moving towards seeking "a regional security umbrella," and "a victory for Iran, because it has been calling for this for a long time." However, the details of the invitation remain foggy, as Rahimi did not mention which country had extended the invitation, and no country has officially confirmed the development. The Makkah Defence Pact signed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had a NATO-like mutual defense stipualtion and, under which an attack on one country will be considered an attack on all. Turkey has previously publicly expressed that it wants Egypt to join the agreement. Pakistan has also maintained that it does not want the Defence Pact to be an “exclusive club”. But the pact does not establish a NATO-style integrated military command and contains very few specific military commitments. Also Read: US to make $850mn payment out of its $4bn+ outstanding UN dues Tehran had been cautious in responding to the coalition, and it seeks a regional security umbrella outside of Washington's influence. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on August 10 that Tehran had "no reason for concern" over the establishment of the alliance. While the pact is born out of the chaos of the US-Iran war, regional analysts and Israeli security officials perceive the primary objective of the alliance as working as a deterrent against Israel's aggression. The pact is effectively the polar opposite of the pre-war vision of a US-brokered "New Middle East" where normalisation with Israel was the central requirement. Houthis are preparing to seize land along the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, which would allow them to threaten the vital shipping artery. Saudi Arabia relies entirely on Red Sea ports to export its oil amid the Hormuz crisis. So Iran’s reported invitation to the pact is highly paradoxical, as the Houthis represent the most immediate test to the alliance. It is unclear how comfortable a Sunni monarch will be with a Shia militant group on its border. For such an inclusion to work, both Riyadh and Tehran would have to reach a compromise on Yemen and the Houthis and trade concrete concessions.

Iran has reportedly been invited to join the Makkah Defence Pact signed by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, as Tehran considers a regional security framework.

Iran reportedly invited to join Makkah Defence Pact amid Saudi-Houthi tensions

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that Egypt is also expected to join the Makkah Defence Agreement signed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan on August 7. He described Cairo as a “natural partner”. &nbsp;Turkey wants this coalition to grow and bring other nations into it.“Under our president’s vision, we should not remain limited to three countries. We should grow and, if necessary, bring all countries under this umbrella,” said Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan while speaking to Turkish Anadolu News Agency.Egypt's inlcusion into the alliance would definitely increase the weight of the coalition, as it is closest to Israeli territory. It already shares strong military ties with Turkey despite previous tension over the 2013 Egyptian military's overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/mamata-banerjee-car-attack-north-24-parganas-1786277620247">Mamata Banerjee's car attacked in West Bengal while meeting family of TMC worker who died in police custody</a>"Egypt is already our natural partner on all issues. I believe that at the next stage Egypt will also be among us in the alliance. We already act toward one another as if we were alliance members. There are a few technical issues. Once these are implemented, there is no reason for Egypt not to be part of it," said Fidan. He further added that neither Pakistan nor Saudi Arabia has any objection to Egyptian inclusion.&nbsp;The nature of the agreement still remains undefined, despite having NATO's Article 5-like stipulation where an attack on any one of the three states would be treated as an attack on all of them. But unlike NATO, this seems to have more room for political manoeuvring, as it's rather a passive defensive arrangement with no existing bureaucracy and financing architecture. This would suit Egypt well for its aid relationship with Washington.&nbsp;

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says Egypt is expected to join the Makkah Defence Agreement with Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that Egypt is also expected to join the Makkah Defence Agreement signed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan on August 7. He described Cairo as a “natural partner”. Turkey wants this coalition to grow and bring other nations into it. “Under our president’s vision, we should not remain limited to three countries. We should grow and, if necessary, bring all countries under this umbrella,” said Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan while speaking to Turkish Anadolu News Agency. Egypt's inlcusion into the alliance would definitely increase the weight of the coalition, as it is closest to Israeli territory. It already shares strong military ties with Turkey despite previous tension over the 2013 Egyptian military's overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi. Also Read: Mamata Banerjee's car attacked in West Bengal while meeting family of TMC worker who died in police custody "Egypt is already our natural partner on all issues. I believe that at the next stage Egypt will also be among us in the alliance. We already act toward one another as if we were alliance members. There are a few technical issues. Once these are implemented, there is no reason for Egypt not to be part of it," said Fidan. He further added that neither Pakistan nor Saudi Arabia has any objection to Egyptian inclusion. The nature of the agreement still remains undefined, despite having NATO's Article 5-like stipulation where an attack on any one of the three states would be treated as an attack on all of them. But unlike NATO, this seems to have more room for political manoeuvring, as it's rather a passive defensive arrangement with no existing bureaucracy and financing architecture. This would suit Egypt well for its aid relationship with Washington.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says Egypt is expected to join the Makkah Defence Agreement with Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

Turkey says Egypt could join Makkah Defence Agreement with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan

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Iran reportedly invited to join Makkah Defence Pact amid Saudi-Houthi tensions

Turkey says Egypt could join Makkah Defence pact with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan