Daijiworld Media Network - Tehran

Tehran, Aug 10: Iran on Monday called on neighbouring countries to work towards strengthening collective security in the region, amid heightened tensions and a new defence agreement involving Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei was responding to a question on whether the defence agreement could become an “Islamic NATO”. He said regional countries did not need outside powers to intervene in the region.

“We do not need any outside powers to intervene in our region,” Baghaei said, urging neighbouring countries to draw lessons from recent developments and strengthen regional cooperation.

“The tension in the region is still there,” he said, adding that Iran hoped countries in the region would work together to build stronger collective security.

The remarks came after Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a defence agreement under which an armed attack against any one of the three countries would be regarded as an attack against all. Pakistan has described the pact as defensive and said it is open to other countries willing to cooperate on peace and strategic security.

The agreement has attracted attention because of the wider security situation in the Middle East and ongoing tensions involving Iran. Analysts have debated whether the pact could evolve into a broader regional security arrangement, although its members have rejected comparisons suggesting it is directly aimed at another country.

Baghaei's comments reflected Tehran's preference for regional countries to manage their own security arrangements without intervention by external powers.