Saudi Arabia and Pakistan

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Saudi Arabia signs mutual defense pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan after Israeli attack on Qatar Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan have signed a mutual defense pact that defines any attack on either nation as an attack on both in the wake of Israel’s strike on Qatar earlier this month. Read more.

What to know: The kingdom has long had close economic, religious and security ties to Pakistan, including reportedly providing funding for Islamabad’s nuclear weapons program as it developed. Analysts have suggested that Saudi Arabia could be included under Islamabad’s nuclear umbrella, particularly as tensions have risen over Iran’s atomic program.   The timing of the pact appeared to be a signal to Israel, long suspected to be the Middle East’s only nuclear-armed state. Israel did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The pact marks the first major defense decision by a Gulf Arab country since the Qatar attack.The United States, long the security guarantor for the Gulf Arab states, also did not immediately acknowledge the agreement.

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