India, Sept. 9 -- The security landscape of the West Asia region is undergoing changes as tensions rise between the US and Iran. Regional states are trying to gain control of their own security arrangements. On August 7, 2026, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, and agreed to set up a permanent secretariat. US President Donald Trump commented that it is a "big, bold and important step" and China referred to the agreement as a "money, gun and nuclear option" that symbolises the shift towards greater autonomy in the region in the light of the uncertainty that the US commitments are bringing.

In the chessboard of geopolitics in West Asia, the key question for India is not simply whether Pakistan has...