From this perspective, the creation of an “Islamic NATO” is gaining momentum. Therefore, the possibility of forming a kind of “Islamic NATO,” with a function similar to NATO, has become more prominent and much more likely than in the past.
In the last decade, some members of the Iranian parliament considered a plan according to which the government was obliged to hold diplomatic consultations with Islamic countries to form an Islamic army (under the auspices of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation) to confront aggression against Islamic countries. However, the idea of an Islamic NATO was not implemented in practice. Iran had previously proposed forming a regional military and security coalition, and Mr. Rouhani, the then-President of Iran, sent an official letter to the heads of other countries.
Meanwhile, in the past year, the view of creating an Islamic NATO in Iran and the Islamic world has become more serious.
Tehran has built a part of its foreign policy based on supporting the oppressed and resistance groups, confronting the hegemony of the dominant countries. The Pezeshkian government has made efforts to “strengthen relations with neighbors” and support the idea of creating “a strong region,” create a “balance” in relations with countries, peace and security in the region and the world, and welcome reducing tensions.
One of Iran’s strategies against sanctions is to rely on domestic production, a policy of resistance economy, and the use of regional capacities and the development of regional cooperation to neutralize a significant part of the pressures. President Pezeshkian considered the development of cooperation with neighboring and regional countries as a way to bypass sanctions.
From Tehran’s perspective, a new order and a multipolar world are taking shape, and the Islamic world has gained greater geopolitical and geostrategic value and importance with the presence of regional and trans-regional actors.
For Iran, the erosion of Western hegemony and the isolation of Israel in the Middle East are new opportunities for security and military cooperation. Recently, Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi, Advisor to the Commander-in-Chief, positively assessed the defense pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and suggested that Iran join this pact.
In recent years, Iran’s relations with the main Islamic poles have been rapidly improving and developing. In 2025, Iran and the main Islamic players have adopted common and growing positions on regional and international issues, defending Palestine and promoting regional peace and sustainable development.
Islamic players such as Pakistan and Algeria have strongly supported Tehran in the UN Security Council. The extensive improvement of Iran-Saudi relations, the enhancement of military ties, and the follow-up to the 2011 Security Cooperation Agreement have played a significant role in improving and reducing tensions and developing meetings and relations with other Islamic players.
Pezeshkian’s first official visit to Islamabad after the 12-day war and the Israeli attack on Iran was an important effort to strengthen relations with Islamabad. Iran’s relations with Egypt have also been normalized. Sudan and Iran developed relations in 2024 after eight years of severing diplomatic ties.
While the Iranian parliament has been paying more attention to the proposal to create an Islamic NATO, from the perspective of many, such as Mohsen Rezaei in Iran, if the Islamic bloc does not act decisively, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Iraq could be Israel’s future targets, and “the only solution is to form a military coalition.” Also, from the perspective of Major General Yahya Safavi, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Iraq could reach a collective agreement, and Iran’s foreign policy could actively participate in regional defense and security agreements.
In fact, Tehran hopes that the Iranian-Arab gap will narrow, and it will increase Tehran’s credibility and stop the process of normalizing relations between Arab countries and Israel.
In June 2025, Israel and the United States attacked Iran, and on September 9, 2025, Israel attacked Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar. At a meeting on September 15 in Doha, members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned Israel’s actions.
Then, on September 17, in Riyadh, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif signed the Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement (SMDA). The SMDA was signed with the general approach of “your enemy is our enemy.”
Many in the Muslim world are paying more attention to a multipolar world and the independence of foreign policy to create a new order in the Middle East.
From this perspective, with the lack of response from American bases to Israeli attacks, the American shield is no longer a guarantee of security in the Middle East, and a new order is emerging. Many Arab countries that previously considered Iran their main threat now see Israel as a significant threat.
Pakistan has called for coordinated deterrence and offensive measures and the need to create an “Islamic military force” similar to NATO. The leaders of Iraq, Egypt, and Turkey have also supported the formation of a joint Muslim military coalition.
Although the joint statement of the recent Qatar summit of Islamic countries did not explicitly call for the formation of an Islamic NATO, the leaders spoke about pooling their resources to create a shield to protect the interests of the countries of the region, the need for regional defense independence and cooperation in defense industries, a collective response, and deterrence against Israel.
At the September summit in Qatar, Tehran also tried to hold consultations and meetings in the direction of Islamic convergence, unity in the ranks of the Islamic nation in the face of Israeli aggression. Tehran hopes to increase its credibility in the Arab world, stopping the process of Arab-Israeli normalization.
Opportunities and Obstacles
Although the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which includes 57 member states, has historically limited itself to symbolic declarations. From the perspective of many, access to any Islamic military pact could lead to the exchange of security information, increased coordination, the possibility of transferring military technologies of the members, cooperation in the field of defense technologies and strengthening military capabilities, joint production of defense equipment, consolidation of authority, modernization and strengthening of military capabilities, conclusion or activation of security cooperation agreements, creation of a collective security system, promotion of military relations, and support for Palestine.
The idea of forming an Islamic NATO has been proposed for years in the political and security literature of the Islamic world to act as a collective defense mechanism to confront common threats. However, there are important structural, geopolitical, and ideological realities and obstacles. Each actor has a different perception of threats based on its geographical location and security priorities.
However, the future of Iran’s approach in the Islamic world depends on numerous factors of global geopolitical changes, changing patterns of regional interactions, and more pragmatic Islamic policies.
The developments of the past year are a turning point for Muslim countries to transform unity into a specific collective security framework. Conditions that can be seen as an important and effective variable for the formation of the title of an “Islamic NATO.” From this perspective, the creation of an “Islamic NATO” is gaining momentum. Therefore, the possibility of forming a kind of “Islamic NATO,” with a function similar to NATO, has become more prominent and much more likely than in the past.
The agreements between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan should be considered as an accelerator of the “Islamic NATO.” Perhaps the idea of an Islamic NATO will be formed with two-by-two coalitions and eventually lead to the creation of a larger coalition.
Samyar Rostami, а political observer and senior researcher in international relations
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