Makkah Agreement Ratification May Expand Defence Pact to Iran, Muslim Nations: Turkish Speaker

Turkiye – (Special Correspondent/Web Desk) – Makkah agreement ratification could be tabled in Turkiye’s parliament as early as next month, according to the country’s parliament speaker. He also hinted the pact might one day grow far beyond its three founding members.

Numan Kurtulmus, who leads Turkiye’s parliament, spoke to reporters in Ankara on Friday. He said the defence pact signed by Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan could eventually turn into a much wider security arrangement for the entire Muslim world.

That wider circle, he suggested, could even include Iran.

The three countries signed what is known as the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement back in August. It works much like NATO’s Article 5. If one member is attacked, the other two are bound to respond as though they were attacked too.

The timing of the pact was notable. It came just weeks before Yemen’s Houthi fighters, who are backed by Iran, launched strikes against Saudi Arabia. Those attacks were tied to the broader conflict involving Iran at the time.

Since the signing, officials from all three nations have been holding follow-up meetings. These sessions are meant to work out the finer details of the agreement and figure out exactly what kind of support Saudi Arabia may need going forward.

Kurtulmus explained that any international agreement needs parliamentary approval before it can formally take effect. Right now, the discussions happening between the three countries are still in a preparatory stage.

He expects the matter to reach the floor of Turkiye’s parliament once lawmakers return from their recess in October. That would mark a major step toward making the pact legally binding.

Reporters also asked Kurtulmus directly whether the agreement was meant to target Iran. He pushed back firmly on that idea.

According to him, the pact was never designed as a move against any single nation. Instead, he framed it as a response to ongoing instability across the region, along with what he described as aggressive policies from Israel.

He went further, saying Turkiye genuinely hopes the Makkah Agreement can grow into something bigger. His vision is a broader security framework that brings together countries from across the Muslim world.

Iran, he added, would be welcome to join if it chooses to. He believes the pact would become even stronger with more regional countries taking part.

Turkiye has already signaled it is willing to help Saudi Arabia with its military needs, especially on the technical side. For now, though, officials say most of that support would happen through bilateral channels rather than under the joint agreement itself, since the pact has not yet been formally ratified.

There is also movement on the military side. Defence chiefs from Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan are expected to meet soon. Their discussions will focus on practical ways to support Saudi Arabia’s security needs going forward.

As the October parliamentary session approaches, all eyes will be on whether Turkiye takes the first formal step toward ratifying the deal, and whether Iran’s door into the pact stays open.