On July 30, Saudi Arabia announced plans to create a multinational maritime defense coalition. This initiative aims to protect international shipping and energy routes in the Red Sea after attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis disrupted one of the world's busiest trade corridors.
The Saudi defense ministry reported that representatives from 43 countries and the European Union attended a meeting that discussed this coalition, with Saudi Arabia acting as the founding and leading state and hosting its headquarters.
According to the ministry, the coalition's goals include enhancing maritime security, ensuring freedom of navigation, securing international trade routes and energy supply lines, and protecting shared maritime interests in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden.
A joint statement supporting the coalition was issued by 14 countries, including Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan, and Djibouti. However, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, two Gulf Arab states, did not support the statement.
This announcement followed reports that Saudi Arabia was looking to form an international coalition to safeguard shipping in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks.
On July 20, the Houthis declared their intent to impose a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea and claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on Saudi-associated shipping. In retaliation, Saudi Arabia conducted airstrikes on what it described as Houthi military facilities in Yemen's Hodeidah that threatened commercial shipping.
The ongoing tensions in the Red Sea represent a new front in the broader conflict involving Iran, with attacks on shipping increasing beyond the Gulf and causing oil prices to rise.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the southern Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, is a crucial maritime chokepoint for global trade and energy transport.
In 2024, the European Union launched a naval mission in the Red Sea to help restore and protect freedom of navigation after the Houthis disrupted maritime traffic by targeting vessels in a show of solidarity with Palestinians during the Gaza war.