Saudi Coalition Protects Red Sea Shipping Amid Escalating Tensions with Iran
Saudi Arabia has announced plans to form a 14-nation coalition to protect international shipping and energy transport routes in the Red Sea, amidst escalating tensions with Iran. The move comes after the pro-Iranian Houthi rebels declared a blockade of Saudi Arabia and attacked oil tankers passing through the Red Sea.
The coalition will include Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan. The group aims to strengthen maritime security, guarantee freedom of navigation, protect international trade routes, and energy supply chains in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden.
The coalition will be headquartered in Saudi Arabia and will involve joint military operations, planning, training, and intelligence exchange among member countries. The Saudi Ministry of Defense stated that 'maritime security is a shared responsibility' and emphasized that the coalition is purely defensive, not intended to attack any other country or alliance.
In related news, the United States has expanded its sanctions against Iran by targeting Iranian airline Mahan Air, along with four companies based in China, India, and Russia, and two individuals who supported the activities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced that all US assets of the targeted individuals and companies will be frozen.