But Sina Toosi, a senior fellow at the Centre for International Policy, explained that the mutual defence pact is likely a setback. The pact builds on a previous mutual defence agreement with a similar provision, reached between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in September 2025. Saudi Arabia, for instance, said the deal “does not represent any orientation toward building a military axis or sectarian/religious bloc”. Aydintasbas also questioned whether Turkiye or Pakistan would indeed retaliate against the Houthis or Iran in response to attacks on Saudi Arabia, under the terms of the pact. “Stronger regional security cooperation among US partners is entirely compatible with the direction of American strategy.”