Reuters: Saudi Arabia seeks an international coalition to protect Red Sea shipping

According to Reuters, republished by Al Jazeera, Saudi Arabia is working to build an international coalition to protect Red Sea shipping from attacks by Yemen's Houthis. People familiar with the deliberations said the coalition's composition has not been finalised and is being discussed with dozens of countries. The report was published on Wednesday 29 July 2026 (7 Mordad 1405).

On 20 July the Houthis announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and subsequently said they had attacked Saudi vessels in the Red Sea; Saudi Arabia responded with air strikes on facilities at Hodeidah port. The office of the Saudi foreign minister said he received calls from his Qatari, Kuwaiti and Bahraini counterparts stressing efforts to de-escalate.

The information minister of Yemen's internationally recognised government accused the Houthis of seeking to charge transit fees on ships passing through the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Al Jazeera wrote that the spread of attacks on tankers into waters beyond the Persian Gulf, while the Strait of Hormuz is closed, has pushed oil prices higher.