Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday welcomed the landmark mutual defence deal struck between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia as the beginning of a “comprehensive regional security system”.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia entered into a landmark mutual defence agreement, under which any aggression against one state will be considered an attack on both. The pact was signed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman at the Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh last week.
The agreement came amid diplomatic upheaval in the Middle East and just months after a deadly India-Pakistan conflict in May, as well as the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June.
The Iranian president praised the defence deal while addressing the General Debate of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) today.
“Iran welcomes the defensive pact between the two brotherly Muslim countries, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, as a beginning for a comprehensive regional security system with the cooperation of the Muslim states of West Asia in the political security and defence domains,” he said.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had hinted on Friday that some countries were showing interest in building strategic defence agreements with Pakistan following the deal.
“It’s premature to say anything, but some other countries want to enter into an agreement of this nature,” FM Dar had told reporters in London, replying to a question about whether other states will join the pact or ink similar deals.
Iran and Saudi Arabia have often been on opposing sides of regional conflicts, including in Syria and Yemen. The two regional heavyweights broke off diplomatic relations in 2016 before re-establishing them in 2023 under a rapprochement deal brokered by China.
The two Muslim countries have since been witnessing warming relations with high-level meetings of their leaders.
Saudi Arabia had condemned the Israeli strikes on Iran in May, calling them “aggressions” and a “clear violation of international laws”. Riyadh had also expressed its “great concern” following the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Tells UN Tehran will never seek to build nuclear bomb
President Pezeshkian also said Iran has no intention to build nuclear weapons, just days before international sanctions could be reimposed on his country over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
“I hereby declare once more before this assembly that Iran has never sought and will never seek to build a nuclear bomb. We do not seek nuclear weapons,” Pezeshkian said.
On August 28, Britain, France and Germany launched a 30-day process to reimpose UN sanctions that ends on September 27, accusing Tehran of failing to abide by a 2015 deal with world powers aimed at preventing it from developing a nuclear weapon.
The European powers have offered to delay reinstating sanctions for up to six months to allow space for talks on a long-term deal if Iran restores access for UN nuclear inspectors, addresses concerns about its stock of enriched uranium, and engages in talks with the US
Pezeshkian criticised the move by European powers as “illegal”, saying it was made at “the behest of the United States of America”.
The US, its European allies and Israel accuse Tehran of using its nuclear programme as a veil for efforts to try to develop the capability to produce weapons. Iran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only.
“In doing so, they (the E3) set aside good faith. They circumvented legal obligations. They sought to portray Iran’s lawful remedial measures … as a gross violation,” Pezeshkian said.
But amid the looming threat of sanctions and last-ditch talks on the sidelines of the UNGA, gaps remain between Tehran and European powers over a deal to avert the snapback of sanctions.
Still, both sides have left the door open to further negotiations. While the E3 says Iran’s clerical rulers have so far failed to meet the conditions it set, Tehran says it will not offer concessions.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the last say on key state matters such as foreign policy and Iran’s nuclear programme, has ruled out negotiations with the US under threat.
If Tehran and the E3 fail to reach a deal on an extension by the end of September 27, then all UN sanctions will be reimposed on Iran, where the economy already struggles with crippling sanctions reimposed since 2018 after President Donald Trump ditched the pact during his first term.
The so-called “snapback” process would reimpose an arms embargo, a ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing, a ban on activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, a global asset freeze and travel bans on Iranian individuals and entities.
Soon after the US and Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear sites in June, Iran’s parliament passed a law suspending cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
However, the IAEA and Tehran reached a deal on September 9 to resume inspections at nuclear sites and UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Tuesday a team of inspectors was on its way to Iran should Tehran and the E3 strike a deal this week to avert revival of sanctions.
