NATO member Turkey is holding talks with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to join a defence alliance established in September between the two countries, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday.
"At present, there are discussions and talks underway, but no agreement has yet been signed," Fidan told reporters.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's "vision is broader, more comprehensive, and aimed at establishing a larger platform," he added.
The defense agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, announced amid tensions in the Gulf region, raises many questions, particularly about its possible nuclear component, given Islamabad possesses nuclear weapons.
The Pakistan-Saudi pact was signed just months after Pakistan and India fought an intense four-day conflict in May that killed more than 70 people on both sides in missile, drone and artillery fire, the worst clashes between the nuclear-armed neighbours since 1999.
Pakistan and India, also a nuclear power, have long accused each other of backing militant forces to destabilise one another.
Saudi Arabia is believed to have played a key role in defusing the conflict.
Meanwhile, Turkey on Thursday said it opposes a military operation against Iran, as US President Donald Trump had repeatedly talked about coming to the aid of the Iranian people over the crackdown on protests.
"We're against a military operation against Iran. We believe the authentic problems of Iran should be resolved by themselves," Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told journalists in Istanbul.
He said that Iran's economic grievances were "misunderstood as an uprising against" the Islamic republic.
The protests, which rights groups say has left at least 3,428 people dead, have seen thousands of people take to the streets in all corners of Iran against a government with low tolerance for dissent.
The Iranian government was already battling an economic crisis after years of sanctions and recovering from the June war against Israel.
Fidan called for dialogue to the crisis.
"We absolutely want problems to be resolved through dialogue," he said.
"Hopefully, the United States and Iran will resolve this issue among themselves -- whether through mediators, other actors, or direct dialogue. We are closely following these developments."