Will 'Islamic Nato' protect Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey? | Global News Podcast

By BBC News

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Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey have signed a defence pact, saying an attack on one of them would be seen as an attack on all three. Some analysts have described this deal between majority-Muslim powers as the "Islamic Nato" - though the members have not used that term. So do the signatories of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement really intend to come to their partners' rescue - particularly if it risks joining a wider conflict in the Middle East? Iran has launched strikes on Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries throughout the war with the US and Israel. In recent days, Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have targetted a Saudi tanker and oil refinery. At the same time, Pakistan has been trying to broker peace between Iranian leaders and the administration of President Donald Trump. And Pakistan's rival, India, has built its own relationships with Israel and the United Arab Emirates. We speak to the BBC's global affairs analyst Anbarasan Ethirajan about the deal agreed by Saudi Crown

Tags: bbc, bbc news, news, world news, breaking news, defense, Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, Türkiye