Turkey-Pakistan-Saudi Pact Carries NATO Article 5-Equivalent Mutual Defense Clause

🤝 ANKARA — A mutual defense clause targeting the same geography as NATO's eastern flank. 📌 LOOK CLOSER: Article 5-equivalent language transforms the pact from political signaling into a binding trigger mechanism. If Iran strikes Saudi territory, Ankara and Islamabad are formally obligated to respond. For Tehran, this closes the regional isolation question: three states with nuclear capability, drones, and the Arab world's largest military now share a collective defense perimeter.