Saudi Arabia Forms Maritime Defense Alliance to Secure Red Sea Waterway

Saudi Arabia has formed a maritime defense alliance to secure navigation in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a critical waterway for delivering Saudi crude to international markets. The move comes after Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis imposed a maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia and claimed attacks targeting Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea.

The alliance, which includes 14 countries including Bahrain, Bangladesh, and Egypt, aims to enhance maritime security and safeguard freedom of navigation in the region. The Saudi defense ministry said it had invited 51 countries and organizations to a meeting about the alliance in Riyadh on Thursday, with representatives from 43 countries attending.

The Bab al-Mandab Strait has been a key route for delivering Saudi oil exports since energy exports from the Gulf were largely choked off by the US-Iranian standoff in the Strait of Hormuz. The Houthi's maritime embargo and claimed attacks on Saudi oil tankers have raised concerns about the security of this critical waterway.