Saudi Arabia had normalized relations with Iran through a Beijing-brokered agreement in March 2023, investing thirty months in non-oil trade and diplomatic exchanges, including a formal renewal in December 2025. This investment was destroyed by US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran on February 28, 2026, triggering Iranian retaliation on Saudi territory, including the Yanbu refinery and Ras Tanura.
Riyadh responded with public condemnation of Iranian strikes while privately conducting military actions against Iranian drone sites and Iraqi militias. To navigate the imposed conflict, Saudi Arabia leveraged a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) signed with Pakistan on September 17, 2025. This pact, initially noted for its nuclear implications, strategically positioned Pakistan as a trusted interlocutor with Tehran, given its unique access and shared border. Saudi Arabia further solidified this by deploying Finance Minister Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Jadaan to Islamabad before critical mediation talks, leveraging significant financial instruments like a $3 billion rolling deposit and remittances. Riyadh also embedded itself in Pakistan's mediation platform, appearing alongside Turkish and Egyptian FMs, to lend credibility to Islamabad's diplomatic efforts with Tehran, particularly during a crisis over a petrochemical complex in Jubail.
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