(IANS File Photo)
New Delhi, October 11 (IANS) Iran has stepped up criticism of the Saudi Arabia-Pakistan-Turkey defence pact after it became operational, warning that any intervention in Yemen could have undesirable consequences for the region.
According to a report by Iran International, the trilateral pact entered its operational phase on October 5 following an escalation in Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi infrastructure. Turkey and Pakistan said they had begun taking measures to support Saudi Arabia.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei, when asked about reports that tens of thousands of Pakistani troops could be deployed to Saudi Arabia, said: "We have also heard this rumour, and we hope it is not true."
"The countries of the region are well aware that any intervention in the Yemen issue could have undesirable consequences for the region," he added, expressing hope that pacts such as the Mecca agreement would not be used "against the interests and welfare of the Muslim community".
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, without directly referring to the pact, called on neighbouring countries to pursue "self-reliance" and a policy based on "genuine brotherhood". He also said that such agreements would not constrain Iran.
Several Iranian lawmakers dismissed the pact as largely symbolic. Ahmad Bakhshayesh, a member of Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, described it as a "paper and political pact".
Sharper criticism came from Ebrahim Rezaei, another member of the committee, who questioned the pact’s ability to guarantee Saudi Arabia’s security.
"The Saudis should know that a paper agreement with Turkey and Pakistan will not bring them security, just as years of one-sided milking of the Americans did not bring them security," he wrote on X. "Correct your policies so that you do not have to beg others for security."
Iran’s criticism has focused more heavily on Pakistan than Turkey, largely because of Islamabad’s prominent role in mediating between Tehran and Washington.
According to the report, Iranian lawmaker Ahmad Naderi questioned Pakistan’s neutrality, writing on X that "Pakistan’s entry alongside Saudi Arabia into the war against the people of Yemen…shows that Pakistan should no longer be considered a mediator but a regional intervenor."
Iranian state media have also criticised the pact as having become operational, while extensively covering warnings from Houthi officials directed at Turkey and Pakistan, the report mentioned.
Tasnim described the development as “Turkey and Pakistan join the Saudi war against the Yemeni people”, while Nour News, which is close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, raised questions over the pact’s objectives, asking: “Mecca alliance or alliance against the oppressed people of Yemen?!”
