In broader geostrategic terms, the defense pact is also an indicator of growing apprehensions in the Middle East about the United States as a reliable security guarantor any longer. It is also possible that Washington may have at least tacitly approved of the defense pact. The Saudi Arabia-Pakistan defense pact, with the possibility of Islamabad guaranteeing Riyadh nuclear protection, is fraught with profound implications not just for India and the region but globally as well. However, now that this comprehensive defense pact has been put in place, Modi’s sanguine view of Saudi Arabia and Salman may require significant recalibration. It is also possible that Washington may have at least tacitly approved of the defense pact.