By Shashi P.B.B. Malla
Saudi Arabia is in the process of forming a military coalition to protect shipping in the Red Sea and the entry/exit, the Bab el-Mandab to the Gulf of Aden/Arabian Sea.
Renewed attacks by the Yemini Houthi militia imperil the crucial alternative route for Saudi oil exports and further threaten the global economy (NYT/The New York Times, Aug. 1-2).
The Arabian kingdom has invited around 50 countries to join the new maritime coalition, which would be Saudi led. And is pushing for them to commit as soon as possible.
After a meeting last Thursday in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, 14 countries affirmed their support for the new military coalition, including such middle powers like Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan, Nigeria and several other Arab and African nations, according to the Saudi Defence Ministry.
Saudi Arabia has also invited European countries to join the new coalition, as well as the United States.
Saudi Arabia has indicated that it expects the number of participating countries to increase substantially.
The Saudi Defence Ministry said the new coalition is “part of ongoing efforts to enhance maritime security, protect international maritime corridors and counter threats targeting maritime navigation and global trade.”
It is unclear how the new coalition would differ from a current European Union operation to protect Red Sea shipping, known as Aspides.
The coalition will be headquartered in Saudi Arabia, and member countries will engage in intelligence sharing, training exercises and maritime operations, according to the joint statement from the 14 countries that agreed to participate.
The statement described the endeavor as “purely defensive and not targeting any country” in particular [However, they have Iran and the Houthis in mind in the first instance].
The urgency of the Saudi initiative is a definite sign that the kingdom’s leadership views existing efforts to fend off attacks by the Yemini Houthi militia – backed by Iran – as insufficient.
On July 20, the Houthis [a state within a state, controlling the northern part of Yemen] declared a blockade on Saudi vessels transiting the Red Sea, which has become a vital route for oil exports during the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
The Houthis have claimed attacks on several ships since then and have not backed down even after Saudi Arabia bombed Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen.
Since the blockade was declared, the number of Saudi and other ships passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, at the southern tip of the Red Sea – surrounded by Yemen in the north and Eritrea and Djibouti in the south – has decreased by about one-fifth (NYT).
The Red Sea which leads to the Suez Canal to the north, has long been an important waterway for international trade.
It has become even more essential to global energy markets after the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, leading Iran to effectively block the Strait of Hormuz – a narrow waterway on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula that had been the main route for Persian Gulf oil shipments.
Since then, Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, has re-routed much of its oil through an overland pipeline in its own territory to the Red Sea.
During the war in Gaza, the Houthis gained international notoriety by launching attacks on Israel as well as on ships in the Red Sea, describing the operation as a moral crusade on behalf of Palestinians living under constant Israeli attacks, bombardment and repression.
Since the Houthis control territory very near the Bab el Mandeb, the militia is well positioned to launch missiles and drones at vessels passing through the strategic waterway.
Starting in 2023, a U.S. led maritime operation called Operation Prosperity Guardian sought to deter those attacks (NYT).
Saudi Arabia, keen to avoid another conflict with the Houthis at the time, did not publicly join that operation.
When the United States and Israel went to war with Iran this year, the Houthis initially seemed willing to stay on the sidelines.
But last month, renewed tensions between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia escalated rapidly, and the Houthis announced their blockade on Saudi vessels – their patron Iran did not like that the Saudis were using an alternative route for their oil exports.
Previously Saudi Arabia had led a bombing campaign against the Houthis that turned into a decade-long quagmire, and was currently supporting their domestic opponents.
With the Strait of Hormuz currently off limits, any obstruction in the Red Sea leaves Saudi Arabia with no other option for exporting its oil, the lifeblood of its national economy.
Though Saudi Arabia has long had antagonistic relations with Iran, Saudi officials had been concurrently pursuing warmer ties for several years as the most pragmatic way to manage the threat Tehran posed.
The U.S.-Iran war has dashed those efforts, threatening the kingdom’s security and straining its relations with the United States.
In retaliation for American attacks, Iran has launched thousands of missiles and drones at Persian Gulf states that host U.S. military installations, including in Saudi Arabia (NYT).
Saudi officials have expressed a desire to stay out of the broader conflict.
However, last week Wednesday, Saudi Arabia carries out joint airstrikes together with the United States in Iraq, accusing Iran-backed militias there of attacking Saudi oil facilities.
Saudi Arabia is, therefore, in a quandary. It has to recognize that Iran is the main culprit and act accordingly – in concert with the other Gulf countries.
The writer can be reached at: shashimalla125@gmail.com
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