Pakistan, Aug. 12 -- Pakistan's foreign minister has stepped up diplomatic contacts with Gulf and regional counterparts following the signing of a new trilateral defense pact with Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, speaking with Bahrain's foreign minister after separate calls with Riyadh and Tehran as regional tensions remain high.

The contacts follow Friday's signing of the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement, under which an armed attack against Pakistan, Saudi Arabia or Turkiye would be considered an attack against all three, significantly expanding their security cooperation as the five-month US-Iran war and disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz reshape Gulf security.

Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani called D...