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Pakistan deployed approximately 8,000 troops, a full squadron of around 16 JF-17 fighter jets, two drone squadrons, and a Chinese HQ-9 air defense system to Saudi Arabia during the Iran war under a confidential mutual defense pact, the full scale of which Reuters reported.
Islamabad simultaneously served as the war's principal mediator, brokering the April 8 ceasefire and hosting the only round of U.S.-Iranian peace talks.
Three security officials and two government sources confirmed the deployment to Reuters, all describing it as a substantial, combat-capable force. Pakistan sent a full squadron of approximately 16 aircraft, mostly JF-17 fighters produced jointly with China, to Saudi Arabia in early April.
Two security officials confirmed that Pakistan also sent two squadrons of drones. The 8,000 troops were deployed with a pledge to send more if needed.
The entire deployment was operated by Pakistani personnel and financed by Saudi Arabia.
All five sources described the force as "far more than a symbolic or advisory mission," given its composition of combat aircraft, air defenses, and thousands of troops.
The deployment adds to thousands of Pakistani troops already stationed in the kingdom under previous agreements.
One government source who has seen the text of the confidential defense pact said it allows for up to 80,000 Pakistani troops to be deployed to Saudi Arabia to help secure the kingdom's borders alongside Saudi forces.
Two security officials said the agreement also involved the deployment of Pakistani warships, though Reuters was unable to determine whether any had reached Saudi Arabia.
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has previously implied the pact places Saudi Arabia under Pakistan's nuclear umbrella.
Pakistan's deployment took place before Islamabad emerged as the war's principal mediator; the jets were sent in early April after Iranian strikes hit Saudi energy infrastructure and killed a Saudi national.
Islamabad subsequently brokered the April 8 ceasefire, hosted the only U.S.-Iranian peace talks, and had planned further rounds, which both sides subsequently canceled.
Reuters has also reported earlier that Saudi Arabia launched numerous unpublicized strikes on Iran in retaliation for attacks carried out inside the kingdom.
The U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, triggering retaliation from Tehran against Israel as well as U.S. allies in the Gulf, alongside the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. Since April 13, the U.S. has enforced a naval blockade targeting Iranian maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran also announced on Monday it had responded to a new U.S. proposal aimed at ending the war, adding that exchanges were continuing despite Iranian media reports describing Washington's demands as "excessive."
Washington and Tehran have been swapping proposals in an effort to end the conflict.
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