Saudi Arabia unveils plans for Multinational Maritime defence coalition

Saudi Arabia and 13 other countries, including Pakistan, on Thursday announced the creation of a multinational maritime defence coalition aimed at safeguarding freedom of navigation, international trade and energy supply routes in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The Saudi defence ministry said representatives from 43 countries and the European Union attended an international meeting that discussed the proposed coalition, with Saudi Arabia serving as its founding and leading state and hosting its headquarters. The ministry said the coalition would strengthen maritime security, safeguard freedom of navigation, secure international trade routes and energy supply lines, and protect shared maritime interests in the strategic waterways.

Fourteen countries, including Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan and Djibouti, issued a joint statement supporting the proposed coalition. Among the six Gulf Arab states, Oman and the United Arab Emirates were not listed among the countries backing the statement. The founding states said participation in the coalition’s activities would remain a sovereign decision for each member state, stressing that the alliance is “purely defensive in nature, does not target any state, alliance or international organization, and will conduct all its activities in full compliance with international law while respecting state sovereignty and protecting freedom of navigation.”

The joint statement said the coalition was established as a “framework for maritime defence cooperation” aimed at enhancing maritime security, protecting freedom of navigation, securing international trade and energy supply routes, and safeguarding interests in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The announcement comes amid heightened tensions in the Red Sea, where Yemen’s Houthi rebels have launched a series of attacks on Saudi-linked shipping. Saudi Arabia has responded with air strikes on what it said were Houthi military facilities in Yemen’s Hodeidah used to threaten commercial shipping. The Red Sea tensions mark the latest front in the wider Iran war, with attacks on shipping spreading beyond the Gulf and pushing oil prices higher.

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, linking the southern Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, is a key maritime chokepoint for global trade and energy shipments. The European Union launched a naval mission in the Red Sea in 2024 to help restore and safeguard freedom of navigation after the Houthis disrupted maritime traffic by attacking vessels in what they said was solidarity with Palestinians during the Gaza war. The new Saudi-led coalition represents a significant expansion of international efforts to secure the region’s vital waterways.