Published: 12:06 AM, 03 September 2026
Iran will join Makkah pact if invited: Envoy
Iran is not "concerned" about the Makkah defence alliance comprising Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye, and the country will also join the alliance if it receives an invitation, says Iran's Ambassador to Dhaka Jalil Rahimi Jahanabadi.
Speaking to reporters in response to a question after meeting prime minister's Advisor on Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir on Wednesday, he said: "We have not expressed our interest or applied to join. However, if the member states of the Makkah agreement offer us membership, we will accept it."
Against the backdrop of growing security risks on international sea routes due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia, Saudi Arabia has taken the initiative to form a maritime defense alliance, bdnews24 reports.
On July 31, Saudi Arabia announced the formation of a new multinational maritime defense alliance to ensure security in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in the face of attacks by the Houthis.
The announcement came after an international conference in Riyadh attended by military representatives from 43 countries and a delegation from the European Union.
Although 43 countries attended the conference, 14 countries, including Bangladesh, signed a joint declaration as founding members of the alliance.
While discussions were under way over Dhaka's participation in the alliance, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan agreed on Aug 7 to form a new joint defence alliance. Its aim is to strengthen security cooperation among the three countries amid war and military tensions in West Asia.
One provision of the agreement states that an armed attack on any one of the three countries will be treated as an attack on all. In other words, if one member state is attacked, the other members are expected to come under a collective defense arrangement.
Because of this collective defence arrangement, modelled on the NATO alliance of Europe and the United States, the grouping has also been dubbed the "Islamic NATO."
Alongside defence cooperation, the agreement also includes plans to increase political and military coordination, conduct joint military exercises and expand cooperation in the defence industry.
The Bangladesh government has also said it is positively considering participation in the alliance, which is known as the Makkah Defence Pact.
Referring to Iran's proposal for a similar initiative 10 years ago, the ambassador said, "About 10 years ago, Iran proposed an initiative similar to the Makkah Pact. We advocated for a 'Nuclear-Weapon-Free Middle East,' proposing that no country in the Middle East should possess nuclear weapons. Did Israel or the United States support that proposal? No, they did not."
"The Arab states did not support Iran's proposal at that time because they believed that United States support was sufficient for their security."
He said, " Now, our question to Arab nations-such as Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,and Jordan-is this: Has the United States been able to provide you with the security you needed? Was the US able to intercept the Iranian missiles that flew over your airspace toward Tel Aviv?"
Jahanabadi said, "We do not have any challenge or conflict with Saudi Arabia. When it comes to Türkiye and Pakistan, they are very good friends of the Islamic Republic of Iran and when it comes to Saudi Arabia it is a certain country we have good relations with and we do not have any concerns regarding the 'Makkah Peace Pact'".
"As you know, during the current war between Iran and the United States, we have attacked just the US military bases in these countries. We have never attacked the Arab states and Arab soil," the envoy said.
