Turkey said its new defence agreement with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan is not directed at Iran or any other country. The statement appears intended to counter concerns that the pact could deepen regional tensions or create a military bloc amid continuing instability in the Middle East.

The three countries signed the agreement on Friday, establishing that an armed attack on one member would be treated as an attack on all three. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the arrangement was defensive, while Saudi Arabia has also sought to portray it as neither a religious alliance nor an axis against a third party.