Trump backs Makkah defence pact, calls it a ‘big, bold, important first step’

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed gratitude to Donald Trump, according to Profit, after the US president publicly endorsed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement. The trilateral accord between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye was signed in Makkah on 7 August. In a Truth Social post, Trump called it a significant early move toward firmer regional security and said the Middle East was drawing closer together.

Under the terms, an armed assault against one signatory would be treated as an attack on all three members. The pact also points to wider collaboration in military training, intelligence, defence production and technology. Islamabad maintains that the arrangement is defensive and not aimed at any specific country, while Ankara has said it could be expanded.

Shehbaz also credited Trump for helping broker the May 2025 ceasefire between Pakistan and India, which he said averted a possible nuclear catastrophe in South Asia. The pact follows heightened Middle East tensions and years of growing defence cooperation, including a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement with Saudi Arabia signed separately in September 2025.