Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani on Tuesday endorsed a defense pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, calling for unity among Muslim countries in the face of what he described as common regional threats.
"The signing of a strategic agreement between Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a matter that pleases us," Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, wrote on X.
"The Islamic world is in need of this brotherhood. And we no longer need speeches to resolve the region's issues, but rather action and cooperation," he added following a meeting with Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsen Naqvi in Tehran.
Larijani also praised Pakistan’s stance during a 12-day war in June between Iran and Israel, saying it “reflects a shared understanding of the region’s strategic realities.”
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a strategic defense agreement in September, pledging mutual protection in the event of external aggression.
Nuclear armed-Pakistan has one of the world's largest armies but lacks fellow Sunni state Muslim state Saudi Arabia's vast energy wealth.
Both countries have long been suspicious of the Shi'ite Muslim theocracy in Tehran, which they view as a competitor for regional influence.
Iran’s endorsement of the agreement signals a rare moment of apparent convergence amid deepening geopolitical faults in the Middle East.
Pakistan shares a 560-mile border with Iran, where both countries face persistent threats from armed groups operating in the frontier region, including cross-border militancy.
In January 2024, Iran and Pakistan exchanged missile and drone strikes targeting militant groups in one of the most serious military escalations between them in decades.
Despite the exchange, both sides moved quickly to de-escalate, activating diplomatic channels and emphasizing that the attacks aimed at non-state actors not each other’s governments.
