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

Fourteen countries signed up to a maritime defense coalition in Riyadh on July 30. Saudi Arabia convened the summit. Defense chiefs from 43 nations showed up, along with an EU delegation, and 13 agreed to join.

The coalition covers the Bab el-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden. It came after weeks of attacks on Saudi-flagged tankers. The Houthis declared a maritime embargo on Saudi shipping on July 20. They struck the tanker Encelia with a projectile on July 22-23, setting it on fire. On July 28 they hit the NCC Ghazal with ballistic missiles.

Oil markets had been running hot in the lead-up. Brent crude crossed $100 a barrel. Prices fell after the coalition announcement broke, according to CNBC.

The member list covers a wide geography. Bahrain and Kuwait. Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Somalia. Qatar and Turkey. Yemen itself is in the coalition - the country the Houthis operate from.