Pakistan has signalled that it might be drawn into the Iran war, citing its bilateral defence pact with Saudi Arabia, which has been among the Gulf countries targeted by Tehran in retaliatory strikes. Pakistani foreign minister Ishaq Dar has said he warned his Iranian counterpart against raining missiles or drones on Saudi Arabia, according to a report in The Financial Times.
“I made them (Iran) understand that we have a defence agreement,” Dar said on Tuesday. This is the first time that any Pakistani official has clarified that the defence pact would apply to the Iran war, which started after the US and Israel launched joint strikes last week.
However, the conflict has drawn in other countries across the region after Iran pounded US military bases, embassies and energy infrastructure.
On Tuesday, the CIA headquarters in Riyadh, located on the US embassy compound, was hit by an Iranian drone. A day before, Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura oil refinery, one of the kingdom’s largest, was attacked, forcing a halt in operations. The US embassy in Riyadh was also targeted.
THE PAKISTAN-SAUDI DEFENCE PACT
Dar highlighted that the defence pact between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia helped deter heavier Iranian strikes on Riyadh. “Unlike all other countries, Saudi Arabia faced the least attacks,” he further said.
In exchange, Dar said Iran sought assurances that Saudi soil would not be used for attacks against Iran. “They asked for some assurances that their soil shouldn’t be used against Iran,” the Pakistani minister said.
Signed in September last year, the Nato-style defence pact says that any act of aggression against one country will be considered an act of aggression against both. The pact marked a formal security cooperation between the Islamic nations after years of a frosty relationship.
However, tensions have escalated rapidly. On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia underscored that it reserved the “full right” to respond to Iranian aggression as drones continued to be intercepted. The warning came following a late-night Cabinet meeting that was chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
For Pakistan, a move to deploy its fighter jets against Iran will be fraught with risks. Pakistan has a 40 million-strong Shia population that backs Iran. The country, which borders Iran, has witnessed violent protests after the US-Israel strikes killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last week. The violence has left at least 35 civilians dead.
Moreover, Pakistan is also locked in fierce cross-border conflict with the Taliban in Afghanistan. In such a scenario, if the defence pact is invoked, it will only mount problems for Pakistan. Pakistan will certainly not be game for a two-front war.
