Pakistan and Kuwait Discuss Expanding Defense Agreement, Sources Say

Pakistan is in talks with Kuwait to expand their defense agreement in exchange for energy cooperation and investment, five people familiar with the matter said. According to Jin10, all of the sources said the discussions are still at an early stage. One source said rising U.S.-Iran tensions could make the talks more complicated. Earlier reports said Islamabad had growing concerns that Pakistan's joint defense agreement signed last year with Saudi Arabia could pull it into a war between the United States and Iran. After Iran-backed Houthi forces attacked Saudi Arabia on Monday, nuclear-armed Pakistan told Iran that it would treat any attack on Saudi Arabia as an attack on Pakistan itself. Kuwait has been hit by heavy Iranian attacks several times this year, and any defense agreement with Kuwait would also raise questions about Pakistan's future role as a mediator between the United States and Iran.