Saudi Arabia diverged with Turkey and Pakistan on condemning Iran

Saudi Arabia diverged with Turkey and Pakistan on condemning Iran Submitted by Sean Mathews on Tue, 03/24/2026 - 16:38 The three countries were in security pact talks before the war on Iran, but the conflict has shifted the kingdom's focus on Tehran From left: Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in a picture taken on 19 March 2026 in Riyadh (Handout) Off Turkey and Pakistan opposed the use of harsh language in a diplomatic statement condemning Iran at a meeting of Arab and Muslim foreign ministers in Riyadh last week , multiple sources familiar with the matter told Middle East Eye. Saudi Arabia , in particular, pressed for a tough censure of Iran, which has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at the kingdom in response to the US-Israel war on the Islamic Republic, a western official familiar with the meeting told MEE. “Turkey and Pakistan weren’t convinced to condemn Iran until the missiles started flying overhead,” the western official told MEE, referring to strikes that targeted Saudi Arabia while several foreign dignitaries from the Muslim and Arab world were in Riyadh for meetings.