Qatar: The joint defence agreement signed by Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan in Mecca is more than a three-country military partnership. It signals a changing strategic landscape in West Asia, where traditional security arrangements are being challenged and new centres of power are emerging. The most significant provision of the agreement is its collective-defence principle: an armed attack on any one of the three countries would be considered an attack on all three. On paper, the arrangement appears formidable. The real question, however, is whether Riyadh, Ankara and Islamabad would…
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Ebrahim Raisi looks like a man with a plan
Islamabad: Amidst tremendous tension with Israel, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has reached Pakistan. Raisi will stay in Pakistan for three days. During this time he will hold many high level meetings in the capital Islamabad. Apart from this, he will also visit Karachi and Lahore. This is the first visit of a foreign leader after the formation of the new government in Pakistan on February 8. This visit of Raisi is also special because earlier this year, tension had increased between Pakistan and Iran. Iran had earlier carried out an…
Read MoreBiden fears an Iran, Israel skirmish
Washington: US President Joe Biden issued a warning to Tehran, saying he anticipated Iran attacking Israel “sooner, rather than later.” When asked what advice he would give Iran, Biden said succinctly, “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s resolve to stand up for Israel. “We are committed to defending Israel. We’ll stand with Israel. Iran will not prevail, and we will assist in defending Israel,” he said. As fears of reprisals increased after an assault on Iran’s embassy complex in Damascus last week that resulted in the deaths of six additional officers and…
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