Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says Tehran is ready to join Makkah defence process, calling pact a step toward Muslim unity

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran is ready to participate in the process surrounding the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan, describing the pact as a potential step toward greater unity among Muslim countries.

“This is a step forward. Muslims should unite. We are ready to participate in this process,” Pezeshkian said. He cautioned that Iran did not know the details of decisions taken by the three countries.

Pezeshkian said the agreement could help bring Muslim countries together rather than divide them into opposing camps. He described it as a possible step toward “Islamic unity” and said Muslims should seek cooperation instead of fighting one another.

In broader remarks, Pezeshkian argued that Muslim identity should take precedence over ethnic or national divisions. He said Muslims should not primarily see themselves as Arab, Turkish, Iranian or Persian, citing Islamic teachings that peoples and tribes were created from a common origin and that piety, rather than ethnicity, determines standing before God.

Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement on August 7. The pact states that an armed attack on one member will be considered an attack on all three and establishes a framework for collective defence.

Pakistan has said the agreement is defensive and not directed against any country. Islamabad has also said it is open in principle to other regional countries, although any future expansion would require agreement among the three current members.