Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has formally welcomed the landmark mutual defense agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, describing it as the beginning of a "comprehensive regional security system." In his address to the United Nations General Assembly on September 24, 2025, the president framed the pact as a positive step toward fostering cooperation among Muslim states in West Asia across political, security, and defense domains .
The defense agreement, signed the previous week by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, establishes that any aggression against one nation will be considered an attack on both . A senior Saudi official characterized the pact as a "comprehensive defensive agreement that encompasses all military means," a statement that carries significant weight given Pakistan's status as the only nuclear-armed Muslim-majority nation . The agreement is seen as institutionalizing a long-standing security partnership, with Pakistan already having between 1,500 and 2,000 troops stationed in Saudi Arabia providing operational and training support .
President Pezeshkian's endorsement signals a potential for warmer relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, regional heavyweights who have historically been on opposing sides of conflicts. The two countries re-established diplomatic relations in 2023 after a seven-year break, and Saudi Arabia had condemned the Israeli strikes on Iran in June 2025, expressing "great concern" . The Iranian president's statement suggests a potential alignment of strategic interests, viewing the Pakistan-Saudi pact as a building block for a broader, collaborative security architecture in the region .
Iran's Peaceful Nuclear Intentions Amid Sanctions Deadline
In the same UN speech, President Pezeshkian forcefully reiterated that Iran has no intention to build nuclear weapons. "I hereby declare once more before this assembly that Iran has never sought and will never seek to build a nuclear bomb," he stated, just days before a deadline for the reimposition of UN sanctions . He grounded this position in a religious edict issued by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has also ruled out direct negotiations with the United States under threat, calling them a "diktat, an imposition" .
The president criticized the United Kingdom, France, and Germany (the E3) for acting in "bad faith" and at the "behest of the United States of America" by initiating a process to "snapback" UN sanctions . These sanctions are set to be reinstated on September 27, 2025, after the E3 accused Tehran of failing to meet its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal . The European powers have offered to delay the sanctions for up to six months if Iran allows UN nuclear inspectors full access, accounts for its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, and engages in talks with the US .
The diplomatic standoff occurs against a backdrop of heightened tension following a 12-day war in June 2025, during which Israeli and US forces struck Iranian nuclear facilities . In response, Iran's parliament passed a law suspending cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) until security guarantees were provided . However, a recent agreement between Iran and the IAEA, reached in Cairo on September 9, aims to resume inspections at nuclear sites, providing a potential pathway for diplomatic progress . IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has confirmed that a team of inspectors is ready to go to Iran should a deal to avert sanctions be struck .