Saudi Arabia is discussing an international coalition to protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea from attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement, according to Reuters.
The proposed structure has not been formally announced and its membership remains under discussion. The plan could involve around 50 countries, with a headquarters in Riyadh and Saudi command.
The invitation list could include the United States, Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey. Egypt, Sudan, Djibouti and Somalia have been identified as potential participants, while France, Germany and Italy were awaiting Washington’s decision.
The United States has not confirmed whether it will join. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on 29 July called for the protection of freedom of navigation and maritime security in the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Gulf of Aden and the Strait of Hormuz. Their joint statement recognised the role of the European Union’s EUNAVFOR Aspides mission in protecting merchant shipping but did not announce a new coalition.
The talks follow a 20 July Houthi declaration of a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities later confirmed that the Saudi-flagged tanker Encelia was struck in the Red Sea, causing a fire at the bow. All crew members were safe and the vessel was secured. The Houthis also claimed an attack on the Saudi tanker Layla, but that incident has not been independently confirmed.
Commercial traffic has slowed. Only 11 commodity vessels passed through the Bab al-Mandab Strait on 26 July, the lowest daily total in months, while physical crude prices in the Middle East, Europe and Africa reached two-month highs during the preceding week.
China has also held direct discussions with the Houthis over safe passage for tankers carrying Saudi crude through the southern Red Sea. A voyage from Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu terminal to Asia through Bab al-Mandab takes about 16 days on average, compared with roughly 50 days for a diversion through the Suez Canal and around Africa.
Any new Saudi-led mechanism would operate alongside Combined Task Force 153, which covers the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab and the Gulf of Aden, and EUNAVFOR Aspides, whose mandate runs until February 2027.
