Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei reacts to the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, saying regional security cannot be secured through outside guarantees
By: Middle East Bureau
Location: Tehran, Iran
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has said that any regional security plan that correctly identifies existing threats could contribute to stability and help prevent further instability, while criticising what he described as Israeli actions in the region.
Reacting to the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement signed by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye, Baghaei said regional countries had increasingly recognised that security could not simply be obtained through external arrangements. The agreement, signed on August 7, commits the three countries to treating an armed attack against one member as an attack against all, while the signatories have described it as defensive.
Baghaei argued that lasting regional security should be based on cooperation among countries in the region rather than dependence on outside powers. His comments are consistent with Tehran's broader position that Gulf states should seek regional security arrangements rather than rely on extra-regional military powers.
The Iranian spokesperson also criticised what he characterised as the use of security as a commodity, saying regional states had realised that security was not something that could be “purchased by lying brokers.”
The remarks come amid heightened geopolitical tensions across West Asia and following the creation of the Saudi-Pakistani-Turkish defence framework, which has added a new dimension to the region's evolving security architecture.
Published by:
Omar Haddad | Correspondent, Middle East