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2026-07-31 Arabia

Saudi Arabia hosts multinational meeting to establish maritime coalition

[Rudaw] Saudi Arabia hosted military officials from 43 countries and the European Union delegation on Thursday to discuss establishing a multinational defensive coalition aimed at protecting three key maritime trade routes amid growing security threats and the ongoing US-Iran war.

“The meeting was held to discuss the Kingdom's initiative to establish the Multinational Defensive Maritime Coalition,” Saudi Arabia's defense ministry said in a statement, noting that the coalition falls “within the framework of efforts aimed at enhancing maritime security, protecting international sea lanes, and countering threats targeting maritime navigation and global trade.”

The meeting comes amid escalating tensions in regional waters after Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militias recently announced a naval blockade on Saudi shipping in the Red Sea, claiming responsibility for targeting two Saudi oil tankers.

The Houthis said the embargo was a response to what they described as an "unjust and oppressive siege" imposed by Riyadh "on our ports and airports by land, sea, and air" over the past 12 years since the start of the Yemen war.

Saudi Arabia has firmly rejected the Houthi claims of a blockade on Yemen. The Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen's internationally recognized government also warned that the Houthi measures in the Red Sea amount to "maritime piracy" and would be met with “decisive force.”

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Posted by badanov 2026-07-31 00:00|| E-Mail|| Front Page|| [221 views ] Top
File under: Govt of Saudi Arabia

1 Maybe they should quit talking about it so much and put their money were there mouth is!

Posted by chris 2026-07-31 01:51|| 2026-07-31 01:51|| Front Page Top

2 Here's a solution no one will like! Let the folks with skin in the game take care of it. For instance, if Pakistan purchases a tanker of LNG from Qatar then they provide an naval escort for it thru the "danger zone." It'd be smart to purchase several ships worth at a time so you only have to risk one frigate or destroyer. If either the Iranians or the US/Israeli forces elect to detain / reroute / disable / sink the commercial vessels they will by default trigger a response from the escort. While I'd like to think neither side would be foolish enough to escalate the current situation even further, I'm probably wrong. Could be real interesting if the US is fired upon by the Korean / Japanese navy escort or if the Iranians are fired upon by the Chinese / Pakistani escort. The current situation seems absurd - may as well make it interesting (maybe Polymarket could issue odds on each transit!).

Posted by Dopey Photch2701 2026-07-31 14:02|| 2026-07-31 14:02|| Front Page Top

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