Iran denies claims of Mecca Agreement invitation: 'No official invitation sent'

Iran has denied reports claiming that an invitation was sent to Tehran to join the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement signed between Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei stated during his weekly press conference that his country had not received an official invitation to join the agreement. However, Baghaei noted that proposals regarding discussions with the parties to the agreement on topics concerning regional collective security have been raised.

The Lebanon-based Al Mayadeen television had previously claimed, citing Mehdi Rahimi, the head of the Iranian Parliament's news agency, that Tehran had received an invitation to join the agreement and that the Iranian administration was evaluating the proposal. The report suggested that regional countries were moving toward establishing a "regional security umbrella" and that Iran had long advocated for a similar mechanism.

Baghaei also stated that there was no reason to believe the agreement was formed against Iran. Thus, Tehran has both rejected the claim of an invitation to join and maintained a stance that keeps the door open for contact on the subject of regional security.

The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement was signed in Mecca on August 7 by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

According to the agreement, an armed attack against one of the parties will be considered an attack against all three countries. In this respect, the text is likened to NATO's Article 5, which governs collective defense.

President Erdoğan had previously stated that the agreement was not limited to the three countries and was open to new participants, noting that other countries, including Egypt, could be included in the agreement in the future.

News Source: 12punto