Pakistan sends fighter jets to Saudi Arabia amid fragile US-Iran ceasefire | Conflict News | Al Jazeera Pakistan has deployed fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, marking its first visible military action under a mutual defense pact with the kingdom, as it hosts ceasefire talks aimed at ending weeks of regional fighting between the US, Israel, and Iran. The aircraft, a mix of fighter and support jets, landed at King Abdulaziz Air Base in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province on Saturday, according to the Saudi Ministry of Defence. The deployment comes under a collective defense agreement signed in September 2025, which obliges both nations to treat an attack on the other as an attack on themselves. The pact was finalized during a visit by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Riyadh last September, where he met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. As the jets arrived in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan was simultaneously facilitating direct negotiations between the United States and Iran in Islamabad. Senior delegations from both countries were present, with Pakistani mediators working to broker an end to the weeks-long conflict. Since Iran launched missile and drone strikes on US targets in Gulf states following the US-Israeli killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on 28 February, Pakistan has been navigating its commitments to both sides. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar warned Iranian leaders in early March that Islamabad was bound by its obligations to Riyadh under the defense agreement. Iran sought assurances that Saudi territory would not be used to attack it, which Dar claimed he secured. However, Iranian attacks on Saudi targets, including key bases and a US embassy building, have continued.#pakistan #saudi_arabia #shehbaz_sharif #mohammed_bin_salman #king_abdulaziz_air_base
