TEHRAN — Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a defense agreement in Mecca on Friday aimed at strengthening security cooperation at a time of heightened regional tensions following the US-Iran war, renewed Houthi attacks and disruption to key shipping routes.

The agreement, which includes a collective defense clause under which an armed attack on one member would be considered an attack against all three, comes as Riyadh seeks to broaden its security partnerships beyond its traditional reliance on Washington.

Although the signatories have suggested that the pact is not directed against any country and that other states could join, its timing has drawn attention in Tehran, where officials and commentators are debating what the agreement means for Iran's regional position after months of confrontation.

The pact does not create an anti-Iran alliance overnight. It highlights, however, a strategic paradox for Tehran: the more Iran relies on asymmetric pressure through missiles, regional proxies and control over strategic waterways, the more neighboring states could be willing to coordinate their own security arrangements.