Iran sees Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan pact as sign of US hegemony's decline

Iran views a newly formed defense pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan not as a direct threat, but as a significant indicator of the diminishing U.S. security presence and influence in the West Asia region. Tehran's diplomatic circles interpret the agreement as the beginning of the end for American hegemony in the Persian Gulf and the broader Middle East.

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The agreement is seen as the start of the collapse of U.S. security hegemony in West Asia and the Persian Gulf.

Hossein Noushabadi, Director General of Parliamentary and Legal Affairs at Iran's Foreign Ministry, articulated this perspective, stating that the pact is seen as the "start of the collapse of U.S. security hegemony in West Asia and the Persian Gulf." He suggested that a new regional security order, built on cooperation among regional states, is likely to replace power structures imposed by external actors. This shift, he believes, marks the end of the current geopolitical paradigm and a move towards West Asia's liberation from vital U.S. interests.

While Iran's Foreign Ministry has not issued a formal statement, the reactions from officials emphasize a focus on regional and intra-Muslim cooperation. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi alluded to this sentiment, writing on X that "when Muslims unite, we can directly face any challenge from ill-intentioned external parties." He called for self-reliance and "true brotherhood," without directly referencing the trilateral agreement signed just hours earlier.

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When Muslims unite, we can directly face any challenge from ill-intentioned external parties.

Political analysts offer nuanced views. Vali Nasr, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, does not see the pact as an immediate threat to Tehran. He characterizes it as part of the emerging "post-American order in the Middle East." Mehran Kamrava, a professor at Georgetown University Qatar, agrees that Iranian decision-makers are unlikely to feel directly threatened, given existing relationships with both Pakistan and Turkey. He notes that the pact, for now, carries more symbolic weight than substantial military or political commitment, particularly as neither Turkey nor Pakistan is expected to join Saudi Arabia in conflicts like the one in Yemen.

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For now, all of this are elements of the post-American order in the Middle East.