ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have formalized a sweeping mutual defense pact that commits each to view any attack on the other as a direct assault on itself. The agreement, signed in the wake of Israel's airstrikes on Qatar, signals a new phase in regional security alignments at a time of escalating tensions across the Middle East.

For decades, Riyadh and Islamabad have maintained deep economic, religious, and military ties. Saudi Arabia has long been one of Pakistan's most significant benefactors, with analysts and diplomats repeatedly suggesting that the kingdom's financial backing contributed to Islamabad's successful development of nuclear weapons in the 1980s and 1990s. That history has fueled speculation that Saudi Arabia could one day come under Pakistan's "nuclear umbrella," particularly as fears over Iran's nuclear ambitions intensified.

The timing of the agreement is widely seen as a message to Israel, which is believed to be the region's only nuclear-armed state. Since the Hamas assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, Israel has launched a broad military campaign extending from Gaza and Lebanon to Syria, Yemen, Iran, and, most recently, Qatar. The Saudi-Pakistani pact marks the first major collective defense decision by a Gulf state since the conflict spread to Qatar last week.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the accord, which states that "any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both." Both governments said the agreement would expand defense cooperation and "strengthen joint deterrence" against external threats.

The defense partnership between the two countries stretches back more than half a century. Pakistani troops were first deployed to Saudi Arabia in the late 1960s amid fears of regional instability following Egypt's intervention in Yemen. Those deployments grew after Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, as Riyadh sought additional protection for the holy sites of Mecca and Medina.

Pakistan's nuclear program, developed to counter India's arsenal, has long attracted Saudi interest. In his book Eating Grass: The Making of the Pakistani Bomb, retired Pakistani Brigadier General Feroz Hassan Khan wrote that Riyadh offered "generous financial support" during the program's early years. A 2007 U.S. diplomatic cable later revealed that Pakistani officials openly discussed the idea of Saudi Arabia pursuing nuclear capabilities in tandem with Islamabad, describing the kingdom as a natural "protector" of the region.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has pursued U.S. assistance for a civilian nuclear power program, a project once linked to a now-stalled deal for diplomatic recognition of Israel. Crown Prince Mohammed has openly stated that Riyadh would seek nuclear weapons if Iran acquired them.

Notably, just before the pact was announced, Iran dispatched senior official Ali Larijani to Riyadh. The visit suggested Tehran was aware of the agreement, despite the Chinese-mediated détente between the two rivals in 2023.