Saudi Arabia is seeking to build an international coalition with dozens of countries to protect Red Sea shipping from Houthi attacks. The initiative follows a Houthi maritime blockade declared on July 20, 2026, and subsequent retaliatory Saudi air strikes. The conflict has expanded attacks on energy tankers, driving global oil prices higher and threatening the global economic outlook, while Gulf states seek to de-escalate tensions and avoid being drawn into the wider US-Iran conflict.
Red Sea shipping protection coalition
- ▪Saudi Arabia is seeking to build an international coalition with dozens of countries to protect shipping in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks
- ▪The composition of the proposed international coalition to protect Red Sea shipping has not yet been finalized as of July 29, 2026
Houthi blockade of Saudi Arabia
- ▪The Houthis announced a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia on July 20, 2026, accusing Saudi leaders of imposing a 12-year siege on Yemen
- ▪Yemen's Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani accused Houthi rebels of working under Iranian guidance to establish a system to impose fees on ships transiting the Red Sea
- ▪Saudi Arabia responded to Houthi attacks on Saudi vessels by launching air strikes on Houthi military facilities at Yemen's Hodeidah port
Oil prices rise from attacks
- ▪Tensions in the Red Sea and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz are denting the global economic outlook
- ▪Houthi strikes on energy tankers in the Red Sea have expanded, pushing global oil prices higher
Gulf states seek de-escalation
- ▪Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud received phone calls from counterparts in Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain to discuss de-escalating tensions
- ▪Foreign ministers of Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain condemned attacks by Iran and its affiliated militias in Iraq and Yemen while emphasizing joint action through the Gulf Cooperation Council
US-Iran regional war expansion
- ▪The Houthi blockade has expanded attacks on energy tankers, opening a new front in the wider United States-Israel war on Iran
- ▪Gulf states have sought to avoid getting dragged into the United States-Iran conflict, stating they do not believe it is their war to fight
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