Saudi Arabia signs mutual defence pact with Pakistan
- Last updated: September 18, 2025 | 10:49
Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan have signed a mutual defence pact that regards any attack on either nation as an attack on both in the wake of Israel's strike on Qatar earlier this month.
The kingdom has long had close economic, religious and security ties to Pakistan. Analysts – and Pakistani diplomats in at least one case – have suggested over the years that Saudi Arabia could be included under Islamabad's nuclear umbrella, particularly as tensions have risen over Iran's atomic programme.
Israel did not immediately acknowledge the pact, which was the first firm defence decision made by a Gulf Arab country since the Qatar attack last week. The United States, long the security guarantor for the Gulf states, also did not immediately acknowledge the agreement.
Saudi Arabia’s powerful Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman signed the pact on Wednesday with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
While not specifically discussing the bomb, the agreement states "any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both,” according to statements issued by both Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry and the state-run Saudi Press Agency.
"This agreement ... aims to develop aspects of defence cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression,” the statement said.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have a defence relationship stretching back decades, in part due to Islamabad's willingness to defend the Islamic holy sites of Makkah and Madinah in the kingdom.
Pakistan developed its nuclear weapons programme to counter India's atomic bombs. The two neighbours have fought multiple wars against each other and again came close to open warfare after an attack on tourists in April in Indian-controlled Kashmir. India is believed to have an estimated 172 nuclear warheads, while Pakistan has 170, according to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.
On Thursday, India's Foreign Ministry acknowledged the Saudi-Pakistan pact and said it "will study the implications of this development for our national security as well as for regional and global stability.” Saudi Arabia also maintains close ties with India.
Saudi Arabia has sought to US assistance to advance a civilian nuclear power programme, in part with what had been a proposed diplomatic recognition deal with Israel prior to the 2023 Hamas attack. That could allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium in the kingdom – something that worries nonproliferation experts as spinning centrifuges opens the door to a possible weapons programme.
Prince Mohammed has said the kingdom would pursue a nuclear weapon if Iran had one. The kingdom already is believed to have a domestic ballistic missile programme, which can be a delivery system for a nuclear weapon. However, Saudi Arabia is a member of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and isn't known to have move toward acquiring the bomb through its own work.
Associated Press