Pakistan sends fighter jets to Saudi Arabia amid fragile US-Iran ceasefire

Deployment under mutual defence pact comes as Islamabad hosts US-Iran ceasefire talksPakistan has deployed fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, its first visible military move under a mutual defence pact between the two countries, as it hosts ceasefire talks aimed at ending weeks of regional fighting between the US, Israel and Iran.The aircraft — a mix of fighter and support jets — landed at King Abdulaziz Air Base in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province on Saturday, the Saudi Ministry of Defence announced.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Iran war day 43: What’s happening in Lebanon, Middle East and beyond?list 2 of 3Video: Vance arrives in Pakistan for talks with Iranlist 3 of 3US-Iran direct talks on ending war under way in Pakistanend of listThe deployment came under a collective defence agreement signed in September 2025, which commits each country to treat an attack on the other as an attack on itself.The pact was signed during a visit by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Riyadh last September, where he met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.As the jets touched down in the kingdom, Pakistan was hosting direct negotiations between the United States and Iran in Islamabad, with senior delegations from both sides at the table and Pakistani mediators in the room, working on ending the weeks-long war.Since Iran launched missile and drone strikes on what it described as US targets in Gulf states following the US-Israeli killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on 28 February, Pakistan has been balancing its commitments on both sides.Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said he personally warned Iranian leaders that Islamabad was bound by its obligations to Riyadh under the agreement in early March.Iran sought guarantees that Saudi territory would not be used to attack it, Dar said, adding that he secured those assurances.