Araqchi made the remarks in a post on his X account on Friday night after Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a joint defense agreement.

“Iran's Powerful Armed Forces have shown their readiness, capability, and might in face of the world's most expensive military,” Araqchi said.

“When Muslims stand together, we can face every challenge by malicious outsiders head-on,” the Iranian foreign minister added.

“Time to rely only on ourselves and embrace true brotherhood,” he stressed.

His remarks came after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the so-called Mecca Joint Defense Agreement in the Saudi holy city of Mecca on Friday.

The agreement between the three Muslim countries establishes a collective-defense framework under which an attack on one would be regarded as an attack on all three. It brings together Saudi Arabia, a major oil producer; Pakistan, a nuclear-armed state; and Turkey, a NATO member with the alliance’s second-largest military and a growing defense industry.

The pact is reportedly aimed at strengthening defense cooperation and deterrence amid heightened regional uncertainty and security concerns, including tensions stemming from the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran.

Araqchi’s message appeared to underscore Tehran’s call for Muslim countries to strengthen solidarity and rely on their own capabilities in confronting external challenges.