Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 03:46am on 17 Aug 2026,Monday International
US President Donald Trump has welcomed the recently signed Mecca Joint Defence Agreement between Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan, calling it a major step towards regional security and greater defence self-reliance. In a Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump said he was “very happy” that the three countries had “recently, and finally” signed the pact. Under the agreement, an armed attack against any one of the three nations will be regarded as an attack against all three. Trump said the deal showed how the Middle East was coming together and would enable countries to defend themselves more meaningfully. He described the agreement as a “BIG, BOLD, IMPORTANT FIRST STEP” towards stronger regional defence cooperation.
