Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey to Sign Defense Deal

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey are set to ink a defense cooperation agreement on Friday, according to Reuters, citing sources familiar with the plans. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is currently in Jeddah for an official visit, as reported by the Saudi Press Agency. The agreement's specifics regarding each country's commitments remain unclear.

The three predominantly Sunni Muslim nations have expressed concern over the Middle East turmoil, primarily due to the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, a predominately Shiite Muslim nation. Saudi Arabia is the world's top crude oil exporter, Turkey boasts the second-largest NATO army after the U.S., and Pakistan is the only Muslim country to possess nuclear weapons.

The ongoing Middle East conflict is fostering regional alliances as nations seek to safeguard themselves and secure powerful allies against potential threats. Pakistan has been actively mediating U.S.-Iran talks and facilitating the passage of energy commodities through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been largely closed since the conflict began on February 28.

Vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has dwindled this week from the previous week, as uncertainty looms over the U.S.-Iran negotiations and the possible reopening of the crucial oil and LNG strait. As of this week, only six crude oil tankers have successfully navigated the Strait of Hormuz outbound. Vessel traffic in both the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait has plummeted due to a Houthi claim of hitting a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea and hopes for an agreement between Oman and Iran to jointly manage the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has recently indicated a significantly more restrictive regime for vessel traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, with parliamentary proposals under review to ban U.S. and Israeli ships from transiting it. Other nations deemed harmful by Tehran might have to compensate for transiting Hormuz.