Amid rapidly unfolding developments in West Asia, developments shaped by the Israeli regime’s occupation, US dominance and Iran and the resistance front’s opposition to these trends, Riyadh hosted a trilateral summit between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan. The visit of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Saudi Arabia, along with their meeting with Mohammed bin Salman, coincided with the announcement of a defense agreement between the three countries, marking a significant sign of regional states’ efforts to redefine their security arrangements.

The summit should be viewed as part of a broader trend; one that had previously emerged in the form of a four-way meeting of the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey in Amman to discuss regional developments and the security of strategic waterways. The common thread linking these moves can be found in growing doubts over the effectiveness and reliability of the US, alongside efforts to develop indigenous and regional security mechanisms.

Declining Trust in US; From Historical Experience to the Reality on the Ground

The countries involved in this process have maintained close relations with the US for decades and viewed Washington as one of the pillars of their security. However, recent developments have made the costs of relying entirely on this power more apparent. Recent regional wars, particularly the 12-day war and the developments during Ramadan, underscored for many regional countries the reality that, at critical moments, the US prioritizes the interests of the Israeli regime over the security of its regional allies.

From this perspective, the move towards regional security agreements can be seen as a sign of the gradual weakening of the US position in West Asia’s security calculations; a process that has been accelerated by Iran’s gains in the recent war and the exposure of the limitations of American power.

However, given these countries’ decades-long dependence on US weapons, training and security structures, the emergence of a fully indigenous security system in the short term is not a realistic expectation. Yet these steps could serve as a foundation for an order in which the US is no longer the decisive actor shaping regional security.

In this context, the three-country defense agreement could serve a purpose beyond regulating security relations between Riyadh, Ankara and Islamabad. The establishment of such a framework could, in itself, complicate the Israeli regime’s calculations regarding expanding its hostile actions and destabilizing other Islamic countries, including Turkey and Pakistan. Increased security ties among regional states would raise the cost of any attempt to escalate tensions and transfer crises into the surrounding environment.

An Alliance Without Understanding the Roots of Crisis Will Remain on Paper

However, regional convergence cannot be achieved merely through signing defense agreements and forming multilateral alliances. The experience of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab League has shown that the absence of a shared understanding of the roots of crises and the lack of a coherent framework for action can turn even the strongest agreements into ineffective structures.

The first requirement for sustainable security is recognizing the main sources of instability in the region, namely the Israeli regime’s occupation and US hegemonic interventions, and adopting a coordinated position towards them. It is not possible to speak of indigenous security while simultaneously maintaining open or covert relations with the Israeli regime or considering the US military presence as part of the region’s security equation.

Likewise, countries advocating regional integration cannot simultaneously act against actors that have played an effective role in maintaining regional security. Pressure on Yemen and Iraq, efforts to disarm resistance groups, or demands concerning strategic waterways without addressing the real roots of existing challenges would not create security. Instead, they could place the region on a path designed by the US and the Israeli regime, a path aimed at turning regional disputes into a war of “brother against brother”.

Equation Iran Has Emphasized for Years

Over recent years, the Islamic Republic of Iran has viewed cooperation among neighbors and the establishment of indigenous security as the only sustainable path to resolving regional crises. Within this framework, Tehran has pursued a regional approach, from its Hormuz Peace Initiative to expanding regional relations and calling for the withdrawal of the US from the region.

Iran has also demonstrated in recent developments that it does not define the management of the Strait of Hormuz solely within the framework of its national security, but considers it part of the formation of a new security order independent of the US. Tehran continues to extend a hand of friendship to its neighbors, while making clear that it will stand firmly against any aggression or threat to its own security, the region and the resistance front.

From this perspective, security agreements between Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia could, if they move towards regional independence, represent an opportunity to strengthen indigenous security. However, if these initiatives become trapped in the calculations of the US and the Israeli regime, or are turned into tools against Iran and the resistance, they would not only fail to produce security but would also undermine the foundations of these alliances from within.

The future of West Asia’s security depends on whether regional countries choose to shape their security destiny through a shared framework and genuine participation among neighbors, rather than relying on extra-regional powers. Such an order, if established, would not only reduce security dependence on the US but could also make the Israeli regime’s calculations for expanding insecurity across the Islamic world more difficult.