Three major Muslim-majority powers signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement on August 7, creating a collective defense clause that echoes the NATO mutual defense principle. Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement on August 7, 2026, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, formalizing a collective defense commitment that Turkish officials are openly comparing to NATO’s Article 5. Pakistan is a nuclear-armed state, which adds a category of deterrence that neither Turkey nor Saudi Arabia currently possesses. Saudi Arabia contributes substantial financial resources and sits at the geographic heart of the Gulf. That earlier deal established the foundational legal and diplomatic architecture that the Mecca agreement now expands to include Turkey.