Iran is continuously attacking the countries of the Middle East. Meanwhile, ignoring Pakistan’s appeal, Iran has also attacked Saudi Arabia. On Tuesday, Iranian drones damaged the US Embassy in Riyadh. After this, the eastern city of Dhahran, where the oil company Saudi Aramco is headquartered. There too a warning of missile and drone attacks was issued. Now experts are fearing that Pakistan may also fall prey to this.
The main reason for this is the Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement (SMDA) signed between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in September 2025, which says that an attack on one country will be considered an attack on both. But Pakistan seems not to be living up to this promise. Iran has launched drone-missile attacks on several cities in Saudi Arabia, even targeting refineries. Yet Pakistan did not take any military action.
What does the defense agreement say?
The mutual defense agreement clearly provides that both countries will jointly respond to an attack by an ally. For example, if India attacks Pakistan, Saudi Arabia can also join it.
Shahbaz Sharif also remained silent
Pakistani PM Shahbaz Sharif condemned these attacks on Iraq and expressed solidarity with Saudi, but did not say anything about responding to Iran or providing military assistance. This indicates that Pakistan is withdrawing from the agreement, which can itself become a problem for itself. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said in Islamabad on Tuesday that he was in constant touch with the leaders of Saudi and Iran when the war started.
Dar, who is in Saudi Arabia in connection with the OIC meeting, reminded his Iranian counterpart of the SMDA. He told, ‘The Iranian Foreign Minister said that Saudi land should not be used against us. After this, the impact of the war on Saudi was minimal.
Pakistan’s talks with Saudi leadership
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif over phone on Saturday. During this, Shahbaz Sharif said that Pakistan completely stands with Saudi Arabia. However, the Pakistani statement did not explicitly mention the defense agreement. Meanwhile, Pakistan has condemned the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the spread of the conflict in the region, but has refrained from directly blaming the US role or former President Donald Trump.
First public discussion on defense pact