Saudi Arabia Announces 14-Nation Maritime Alliance to Secure Red Sea Shipping

Saudi Arabia and thirteen partners — including Turkiye, Egypt, and Pakistan — announced the Multinational Maritime Defense Alliance on July 29, 2026. Headquartered in Saudi Arabia, it will safeguard navigation through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, Red Sea, and Gulf of Aden, a corridor carrying roughly 10 percent of seaborne crude oil. The move follows a Houthi-imposed maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia. The UAE and Oman did not sign.