The war on Iran cracked the US-led regional order. The Mecca pact could deal the final blow

The war on Iran cracked the US-led regional order. The Mecca pact could deal the final blow Submitted by Sami Al-Arian on Tue, 08/11/2026 - 22:30 The new alliance is no Sunni 'Islamic Nato' against Iran, but could lay the foundation for an independent security framework that eventually draws in Tehran, Cairo and beyond Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shakes hands with Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman looks on after the signing of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on 7 August 2026 (Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Turkish Presidential Press Office/Handout via Reuters) On The signing of a joint defence agreement in Mecca on 7 August between Saudi Arabia , Turkey and Pakistan predictably set off a flurry of explanations. Three of the most important Sunni Muslim states, alarmed by Iran 's strategic ascendancy and the turmoil engulfing the region, were finally banding together, the argument went, to establish a military alliance that could eventually become a "Sunni" Islamic version of Nato.