‘Architecture of impunity’: Amnesty says Iran committed crimes against humanity during 2022 protests

Iranian authorities heavily cracked down on the 2022 demonstrations, with the monitor reporting that it had identified 377 protesters and bystanders, including 56 children, among the death toll, with at least 326 of them being killed by security forces.

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Turkey to host first Mecca agreement meeting in Istanbul

The meeting is set to bring together foreign and defense ministers as well as the military chiefs of the three signatory states.

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Trump hails Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan defense agreement

“Very happy to see that Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan have recently, and finally, signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

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The Mecca Pact and the Saudi-Gulf security dilemma 

The recent signing of a trilateral defense agreement between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan marks a new development in the Middle East's security architecture, coming as Riyadh finds itself increasingly embroiled in conflict with Iran-aligned actors.

Mohammed A. Salih

Opinion

Iran backs regional security cooperation, rejects reliance on US

Reacting to the defense agreement, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said in a press conference that Tehran’s “fundamental policy” is “to encourage the region's countries toward cooperation and strengthening mutual trust for endogenous security, without relying on extra-regional actors.”

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