The talks are still at an early stage and could still be complicated by “increased tensions between the United States and Iran.”
A view from a drone shows Kuwait City, after the Israeli and US attacks on Iran, in Kuwait, February 28, 2026—REUTERS
Pakistan has been negotiating an expanded defense pact with Kuwait in exchange for energy cooperation and investment, according to five sources with knowledge of the talks.
The talks are still at an early stage, all sources said, and could still be complicated by “rising tensions between the United States and Iran,” one source said.
Reuters reported Thursday that there were growing concerns in Islamabad that its mutual defense pact with Saudi Arabia, signed last year, could drag Pakistan into the US-Iran war. After the Houthis launched an attack on Saudi Arabia on Monday, nuclear-armed Pakistan told Iran it would treat attacks on the kingdom as attacks on itself.
Any defense deal with Kuwait, which has come under heavy attack by Iran this year, would also raise questions about Pakistan’s role in future US-Iran mediation.
Kuwait has had a more limited defense agreement with Pakistan for joint training and exercises since 2023. It is now seeking a show of force from Islamabad that would be similar to Pakistan’s pact with Saudi Arabia, including “thousands of Pakistani ground troops, fighter jets, drones, an air defense system and other defense-related facilities,” a Pakistani government official said.
It is unclear whether Pakistan is willing to go that far, given that its deal with Saudi Arabia was the result of a decades-long close alliance with Riyadh.
“Kuwait’s wish list includes everything,” said a Pakistani security official with knowledge of the talks. “But let me make one thing clear: We are not and cannot consider a deployment of combat troops at this stage.”
A Middle East source confirmed that Kuwait has been in talks with Pakistan, including about defense procurement, but said it was “not clear that this will amount to a defense pact per se.”
Reuters spoke to four Pakistani sources and one Middle Eastern source, none of whom were authorized to speak on the record.
Kuwait’s Ministry of Information and Inter-Services Public Relations did not respond to requests for comment.
Search for defense alternatives
Over the past year, Pakistan and the Gulf states have seen advantages in entering into new regional defense pacts.
Pakistan maintains a large army and produces its own fighter jets. This has made it a possible alternative or complement to US protection among the Gulf States as they have become more cautious about the reliability of the United States as an ally.
Pakistan is seen in Kuwait as a safe bet, said a source in the Middle East familiar with Kuwait’s security planning.
“They are already allied with the Saudis, they have a long history of defense development, they are Sunni Muslims, they have a good relationship with the Americans, so it is not as sensitive as other options,” the source said.
Turkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have been preparing a draft agreement for a mutual defense pact, separate from the one Islamabad has with Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Bahrain is interested in a similar pact, one source said, and Jordan has expressed interest in a deal on arms and training, three sources said.
boot barrels
Pakistan has seen defense deals with neighboring nations as a way to shore up investments the country urgently needs.
As part of the possible deal with Kuwait, Islamabad would want cooperation on energy security, part of a broader initiative by the Ministry of Energy to increase Pakistan’s oil and fuel reserves.
Kuwait is exploring bonded fuel storage with Pakistan that would build on an existing government-to-government diesel supply agreement between the two countries, a Pakistani source familiar with the talks said.
Such offers could still be attractive enough for Pakistan’s leaders to pursue a broader defense deal, two sources said, adding that negotiations were expected to accelerate once tensions between the United States and Iran ease.
Analysts warned that this could prove wishful thinking. “Pakistan needs to be aware of the dangers of over-commitment,” said Muhammad Faisal, a South Asia researcher at the University of Technology Sydney.
