Saudi Arabia is building an international coalition to protect key shipping routes that transport Saudi oil exports from repeated attacks by Yemeni Houthi militias.
The Saudi Ministry of Defense met with nearly 50 countries in Riyadh to establish a multinational maritime defense coalition, the Saudi Arabian embassy in the United States wrote in a statement on the social platform X. The group met to discuss the need to secure shipping routes in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden.
The Saudi Defense Ministry said 14 countries affirmed their support for the coalition including Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan, Nigeria and several other Arab and African nations. Pakistan has also condemned the threatened Houthi blockade in the Red Sea and said they violate established principles of international law.
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels threatened last week to enforce a naval blockade against Saudi Arabian vessels traveling through the Red Sea using the Bab el-Mandeb strait in response to a strike on Sanaa International Airport in northern Yemen, though the Saudi-backed Yemeni government claimed responsibility for the strike.
The importance of the Red Sea has increased since the U.S.-Iran conflict began in February, causing partial and full closures of the Strait of Hormuz, which transports a fifth of the world’s oil.
Red Sea shipping has also slowed following the Houthi attacks, according to the analytics platform Kpler on Monday. The strait saw 11 cargo vessels move through it, the lowest number of ships to pass through in months.
Houthis have claimed responsibility for multiple attacks on Saudi ships and have not slowed down even with Saudi Arabia launching strikes on Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen.
The group has previously attacked on Israel and international shipping lines in an effort to stop Israeli strikes against Hamas during that conflict.
As of Monday, international benchmark Brent crude oil dipped to more than $90 a barrel, having jumped to around $101 a barrel last week.
