Pakistan has sent fighter jets and other military forces to Saudi Arabia to boost security under a defence pact between the two countries, the Saudi defence ministry said on Saturday, as Islamabad hosted talks aimed at ending the Iran war.
Riyadh and Islamabad signed a mutual defence pact in September 2025 © Mena Today
Pakistan has sent fighter jets and other military forces to Saudi Arabia to boost security under a defence pact between the two countries, the Saudi defence ministry said on Saturday, as Islamabad hosted talks aimed at ending the Iran war.
The deployment follows a wave of Iranian talks on the Gulf kingdom over the past weeks that struck key energy infrastructure and killed a Saudi national.
Riyadh and Islamabad signed a mutual defence pact in September 2025, committing both sides to treat any aggression against either country as an attack on both. That significantly deepened a decades-old security partnership.
Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said in a statement that Pakistani fighter jets and support aircraft had arrived at the King Abdulaziz Air Base in the country's eastern province.
It said the Pakistani deployment aimed to strengthen joint defence cooperation and support regional and international security and stability.
Pakistan has long provided military support to the kingdom, including training and advisory deployments, while Saudi Arabia has repeatedly stepped in to support Pakistan financially during periods of economic stress.
Saudi Arabia's finance minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan was in Pakistan on Friday to demonstrate economic support for the country, a source familiar with the situation said.
In 2018, Riyadh announced a $6 billion support package, including a $3 billion deposit at the central bank and $3 billion worth of oil supplies on deferred payment.
Reporting by Asif Shahzad, Mubasher Bukhari and Saad Sayeed in Islamabad
Donald Trump has cast serious doubt on the prospects of a swift diplomatic resolution with Iran, posting a characteristically blunt message on his Truth Social network that suggests any plan submitted by Tehran will face a very high bar in Washington.
An Iranian proposal so far rejected by U.S. President Donald Trump would open shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and end the U.S. blockade of Iran while leaving talks on Iran's nuclear programme for later, a senior Iranian official said on Saturday.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi was in an Iranian hospital after a "catastrophic deterioration of her health," including a "cardiac crisis", a foundation run by her family said.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.