Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have signed a far-reaching Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement that could effectively place the kingdom under Islamabad’s nuclear deterrent, Pakistani and international officials say. The pact — signed in Riyadh on Sept. 17, 2025 — contains a mutual-defence clause declaring that an attack on one party would be treated as an attack on both, a formula that analysts say opens the door to Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities being extended to Saudi security calculations.
Pakistan’s defence minister, Khawaja Mohammad Asif, told Pakistani media that the country’s nuclear programme “will be made available” to Saudi Arabia if needed under the terms of the agreement — the first explicit public acknowledgement by a Pakistani official that Islamabad might bring its strategic forces to bear in defence of the kingdom. Pakistani officials stressed the move is framed as a deterrent, not as a forward deployment of weapons, but the admission has already reshaped regional strategic conversations.
The pact comes amid rising regional tensions following recent hostilities in the Middle East and reflects growing Gulf scepticism about traditional security guarantees. Neighbouring countries and global powers are taking notice: New Delhi has urged Riyadh to be mindful of regional “sensitivities,” while Western and Middle Eastern analysts warn the arrangement could complicate non-proliferation norms and shift balances of deterrence across the region. Policy centres and think tanks are already debating whether this agreement amounts to a formal “nuclear umbrella” or a looser political commitment — a distinction with major implications for diplomacy and arms control.
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