Saudi Arabia forms Red Sea maritime defence alliance

Saudi Arabia said Thursday it had set up a maritime defence alliance to secure navigation around the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The Saudi defence ministry issued a joint statement on behalf of 14 countries: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Turkey and Yemen.

The ministry said the alliance was aimed at enhancing maritime security, safeguarding freedom of navigation, securing international trade routes and energy supply lines, and protecting shared maritime interests.

Saudi Arabia said it invited 51 countries and organisations to a meeting about the alliance in Riyadh on Thursday. It said representatives of 43 countries and an EU delegation attended, with 14 countries confirming support and others in the process of doing so.

The move follows Houthi claims last week that the Iran-backed group was imposing a maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia. The Houthis also claimed attacks targeting Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea and oil infrastructure in the kingdom.

The Bab al-Mandab Strait is a critical waterway for Saudi crude exports. Energy exports from the Gulf had already been largely choked off by the US-Iranian standoff in the Strait of Hormuz.

Saudi Arabia and the Houthis traded fire earlier this month for the first time in years, threatening a 2022 truce that has held despite expiring.