Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the pact "does not target any country"

At a signing ceremony in Mecca on Friday, the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan committed their countries to a mutual-defense accord, with each treating an attack on another as an attack on itself. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the pact is non-hostile and open to other peace-seeking nations; Saudi officials said it poses no threat to regional security and would not damage the kingdom’s relationships with the United States or Gulf partners. The signing came more than five months into the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, which has drawn missile and drone attacks on Gulf energy producers and severely disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Analysts called the agreement more of a strategic signal than an operational alliance, and said Qatar and Kuwait could eventually join.