India, Sept. 2 -- The Mecca defence agreement signed by Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Pakistan caused ripples both in West Asia and the wider strategic discourse. While many perhaps erroneously believed that this agreement had Iran in its crosshairs, it may, in fact, align with the security vision Tehran is pushing via its ongoing chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz.

For some time now, Iran has been pushing for a region-led and region-owned security architecture that displaces the US military presence in the region, off-loads American military bases, and vests the onus of regional security in the Islamic countries. The abrupt exit of the US aircraft carrier, USS Abraham Lincoln, after a record seven-month long deployment to support US war e...