Saudi leads 43 nations for new Red Sea naval coalition amid Houthi blockade

Saudi Arabia on Thursday (July 30) hosted representatives from 43 countries for talks on its proposal to establish a multinational naval defence alliance aimed at strengthening maritime security and protecting international shipping routes, the kingdom's Ministry of Defence said.

According to the ministry, chiefs of staff or their representatives from 43 countries attended the meeting in Riyadh, alongside the European Union delegation to Saudi Arabia. A total of 51 countries and organisations had been invited to participate, it said in a post on X.

During the meeting, participants discussed a draft founding charter and the legal framework for the proposed alliance, which Saudi Arabia says is designed to boost maritime defence cooperation and safeguard key international shipping lanes.

The initiative comes amid heightened tensions in the Red Sea, where attacks on commercial vessels and regional instability have disrupted global trade. The proposed alliance is expected to focus on securing strategic waterways, including the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

According to an earlier report by Al-Monitor, the Saudi-led initiative is intended to protect maritime passage through the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait while preventing attempts by Iran-backed groups to restrict freedom of navigation in the region.

Saudi Arabia has presented the alliance as a cooperative maritime security framework, with discussions continuing on its founding charter before any formal establishment of the coalition.