RIYADH — September 30, 2026: Saudi Arabia will continue efforts to de-escalate regional tensions and pursue diplomatic solutions while responding decisively to any threat to its security, Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman said on Wednesday, delivering the annual royal address on behalf of King Salman at the inauguration of the third year of the ninth session of the Shura Council.
State media reported that the crown prince said recent attacks targeting Gulf states had demonstrated the “indivisibility of Gulf security and stability,” and pledged that Riyadh would not hesitate to defend the Kingdom and its partners.
“We are exerting every possible effort to de-escalate tensions and support diplomatic solutions without the slightest compromise on preserving our security,” the crown prince said, according to Arab News. “We will not hesitate to respond decisively to any threat or attack aimed at undermining it.”
Gulf cooperation at the core
Prince Mohammed said Saudi Arabia was working closely with its Gulf partners to safeguard regional security, pursue strategic cooperation and economic integration, and strengthen joint action — a message observers said was aimed at consolidating unity after recent attacks rattled the region.
He thanked brotherly and friendly countries for their support of the Kingdom and their contributions to strengthening security and stability, state media reported.
Makkah Defense Pact in the spotlight
In one of the most closely watched passages of the address, the crown prince highlighted the establishment of the Makkah Defense Pact between Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan, saying the agreement reflected the three countries’ joint efforts to promote security and stability in the region.
The pact, signed in Mecca on August 7, 2026 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, rests on the principle that an armed attack against any one of the three countries is regarded as an attack against all three — consistent, Islamabad says, with the right of individual and collective self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
Pakistan’s government has described the agreement as defensive in nature and not directed against any country, while stressing that it is intended to strengthen collective deterrence and protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the three states.
The address came a day after Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said in Rome that Islamabad was bound by the mutual defence arrangement and would make “whatever means are available” at its disposal available to defend Saudi Arabia if the Kingdom faces further threats from the Houthis, according to The Associated Press. He did not say whether Pakistan would take part in airstrikes against Yemen or whether Riyadh had formally requested military assistance.
Energy crisis and maritime security
Turning to wider international concerns, the crown prince said the world was facing an energy crisis with potentially far-reaching consequences, and that Saudi Arabia had continued to safeguard global energy security by maintaining oil supplies to international markets despite escalating tensions.
He also said the Kingdom had taken the initiative to establish a Multinational Maritime Defense Alliance to strengthen maritime security, protect shared interests in international waterways, and reject their use as tools of political or economic pressure.
Observers said the speech, delivered as the Kingdom’s top consultative body opened its new working year, signalled that Riyadh intends to pair diplomacy with deterrence — de-escalating regional tensions where possible, while anchoring its security in new partnerships with Ankara and Islamabad.
