Saudi Arabia announced on Wednesday a multinational maritime defence coalition to secure shipping around the Bab el-Mandeb strait and the Red Sea, following a Houthi-imposed maritime blockade on the kingdom declared July 20. The Saudi defence ministry, speaking on behalf of 14 member states including Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, Jordan and Sudan, said 51 countries and organisations were invited to a planning conference in Riyadh, where the alliance will be headquartered.
The coalition forms against a backdrop of escalating violence. Houthi forces said on July 25 they had struck sensitive oil transport sites inside Saudi Arabia, and Saudi air strikes in Iraq on July 29 killed at least 20 people. Saudi Arabia is also preparing a major military offensive against the Houthis by sea and possibly land in central Yemen, with forces seen withdrawing from eastern Yemen in what appears to be a redeployment.
Pakistan, which signed a mutual defence pact with Riyadh in September 2025 featuring a collective security clause, condemned the Houthi attacks on Saudi tankers last week and warned that threats to its own Red Sea shipping interests could be met with legitimate force. The United Arab Emirates was notably absent and not invited to the alliance. Brent crude rose to $88.09 per barrel as more than half of Saudi exports transit the Red Sea via Yanbu terminals.