Current sectionMiddle East NewsAnalysis Iran says it was invited to join the Pakistan-Saudi-Turkish defense pact. Would Trump accept Tehran's regional legitimacy in exchange for Gulf stability – over Israeli and Gulf objections?Share to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeKsenia Svetlova03:55 PM • August 24 2026 IDTIran is considering whether to accept an invitation to join the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, signed so far by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Mehdi Rahimi, the head of the Iranian Parliament News Agency, made this claim in an interview with Al-Mayadeen television, which is closely associated with Hezbollah.Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:Saudi ArabiaMiddle EastIranTurkeyPakistanDonald TrumpCommentsLoading...In the NewsIn the News: Live UpdatesAltalenaE1SyriaWest BankNetanyahuGazaMansour AbbasPollsHaQuizHaaretz PodcastA Stunt or a Seismic Shift: Will Iran Join the Saudi-led Defense Pact?Pro-Palestinian Protesters Sentenced Over Blocking Golden Gate Bridge in 2024U.S. Envoy Walks Back Golan Heights Comments That Contradicted Trump's PositionA Desperate Netanyahu Is Firing at All Fronts to Win the ElectionFrom Armenia to Gaza: The Language of Denial That Make Atrocities PossibleRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIIDF Marks Detained Palestinians With Numbers as Northern West Bank Raids ExpandAn Israeli Startup Is Reinventing Salmon Farming. It May Upend a Global IndustryThe American Jewish Establishment Is Defending an Israel That No Longer ExistsDavid Remnick on Netanyahu, Mamdani and Israel's 'Failure to Face' GazaGermany Found Its Israeli Villain. Will It Continue to Ignore What Produced Him?AIPAC's Last-minute Spending Spree Fails to Block California Progressive