Saudi Arabia Forms 14-Nation Alliance to Protect Red Sea Shipping

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