Mecca Pact Not Directed Against Iran, Bangladesh’s Decisions Do Not Concern Us: Iranian Ambassador

Iranian Ambassador to Bangladesh Jalil Rahimi has said Tehran does not view the recently discussed Mecca Pact as an agreement directed against Iran and is not concerned about Bangladesh’s decision regarding the pact.

He said Bangladesh has been pursuing a highly balanced foreign policy and that none of its recent decisions pose a concern for Iran.

“None of Bangladesh’s decisions concern us. We do not consider the Mecca Pact to be an agreement against Iran,” Rahimi told journalists on Wednesday morning after meeting State Minister for Foreign Affairs-1 Humayun Kabir.

Pact Reflects US Security Concerns

According to Rahimi, Iran believes the Mecca Pact is more a reflection of what he described as the United States’ weakness in maintaining security in the Middle East.

“We believe that this Mecca Pact is actually a sign of weakness of US security in the Middle East,” he said.

The Iranian envoy also stressed that Tehran does not view Saudi Arabia as an adversary. He described Turkey and Pakistan as close friends of Iran and said Tehran also maintains good relations with Saudi Arabia.

“We have no challenge or opposition with Saudi Arabia,” Rahimi said, adding that Iran therefore has no particular concern about the Mecca Pact.

Iran Says It Did Not Attack Arab Territories

Addressing Iran’s recent conflict with the United States and Israel, Rahimi said Iran had not directly targeted the territory of any Arab country.

He said Iranian forces targeted US military installations located in several Arab countries rather than the territories of those countries themselves.

“During the recent conflict between Iran and the United States, we only attacked US military bases located in these Arab countries. We have never attacked the territory or soil of any Arab country,” he said.

Iran Rejects Claims Pact Serves US and Israeli Interests

Some analysts have suggested that the Mecca Pact could primarily benefit the United States and Israel, raising questions over whether participating Muslim-majority countries could indirectly advance their interests.

Rejecting that interpretation, Rahimi said the pact was emerging at a time when Washington was increasingly concerned about securing its own interests and those of its allies in the Middle East.

He recalled that the United States had traditionally encouraged countries in the region to host American military bases and purchase US weapons in exchange for security guarantees.

According to Rahimi, the United States used similar arguments when it attacked Iran, with objectives that included changing Iran’s political system, taking control of its enriched uranium, halting its missile programme and demonstrating American military strength.

Iran Says Its Political System Remains Unchanged

Rahimi argued that those objectives had not been achieved.

“No change has occurred in Iran’s political system. Our enriched uranium is still in our hands,” he said.

He also claimed that Iranian missiles had recently struck US military bases in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq’s Kurdistan region.

The ambassador further pointed to the large sums Washington has spent on maintaining security around the Strait of Hormuz and regional sea routes.

Iran Calls Pact Part of US Strategic Defeat

Rahimi described the Mecca Pact as a supplementary element of what he characterized as the United States’ strategic setback in the region.

“In my view, this Mecca Pact is actually just a supplementary part of the strategic defeat of the United States,” he said.

According to the Iranian ambassador, Muslim countries in the region are increasingly recognizing that large US weapons stockpiles alone cannot guarantee their security.

“We do not consider the Mecca Pact to be against Iran. We are not worried about it at all,” he reiterated.

Iran Open to Joining if Invited

Asked whether Iran had sought membership in the Mecca Pact or planned to do so, Rahimi said Tehran had not independently submitted a request.

However, he said Iran would consider joining if the existing member states formally invited or proposed its participation.

“We have not submitted any proposal on our own to join. However, if the member states of the Mecca Pact invite or propose for us to join, we will consider it,” he said.

Iran Says It Proposed Similar Regional Initiatives

Rahimi said Iran had put forward proposals resembling the objectives of the Mecca Pact around a decade ago.

One proposal, he said, called for establishing a nuclear-weapons-free Middle East in which no country in the region would possess nuclear weapons.

He claimed that neither Israel nor the United States supported the proposal.

Iran also proposed a joint defence arrangement involving Islamic countries in the Middle East, according to Rahimi. He said Arab countries did not support the initiative at the time because they believed US security assistance was sufficient.

The ambassador questioned whether that assumption still holds.

He specifically asked countries including Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Jordan whether the United States had been able to provide the level of security they expected, including whether Washington had been able to intercept Iranian missiles passing through their airspace toward Tel Aviv.