US President Donald Trump has hailed the joint defence pact recently signed between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, terming it a “bold and important first step”.

“It shows how the Middle East is coming together, and how Countries will finally be able to defend themselves in a more meaningful way,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Monday.

The US president congratulated the leadership of the three nations on the signing of the pact, saying it was “a big, bold, and important first step”.

Regional powers are looking to strengthen security ties amid the US-Israel war on Iran, which started on February 28, and has had a major impact on the region — drawing in several Gulf countries and paralysing maritime traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.