U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday expressed strong satisfaction with the Mecca Mutual Defense Agreement signed earlier this month by Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan. The pact, concluded on August 7 in Mecca by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, stipulates that an armed attack on any one of the three nations constitutes an attack on all. Riyadh has sought to reinforce security alliances following Iranian threats and Houthi hostility in Yemen.
Separately, Trump ordered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to significantly scale back joint military exercises with South Korea, though Seoul's defense ministry stated the drills would proceed as scheduled. The moves come as a June memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran reaches its deadline on August 17.