Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry on Thursday proposed the launch of a 14-nation maritime security coalition covering the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Participating countries would include Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan and Djibouti. The move comes amid rising regional tensions, a day after Saudi Arabia joined the United States in strikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq.
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Saudi Arabia unveils plans for multinational maritime defence coalition
Saudi Arabia on Thursday unveiled plans for a multinational maritime defence coalition aimed at protecting international shipping and energy supply routes in the Red Sea region after attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis disrupted one of the world’s busiest trade corridors.
The Saudi defence ministry said representatives from 43 countries and the European Union attended an international meeting that discussed the proposed coalition, including Saudi Arabia serving as its founding and leading state and hosting its headquarters.
The ministry said the coalition would strengthen maritime security, safeguard freedom of navigation, secure international trade routes and energy supply lines, and protect shared maritime interests in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden.
It said 14 countries, including Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan and Djibouti, issued a joint statement supporting the proposed coalition. Among the six Gulf Arab states, Oman and the United Arab Emirates were not listed among the countries backing the statement.
US expands sanctions targeting Iran’s Mahan Air
The US Treasury on Thursday imposed sanctions on six individuals and companies it said were aiding Mahan Air, an Iranian airline that is accused of facilitating Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The new sanctions include a China-based individual, as well as companies in China, Russia, Iran and Indian-administered Kashmir.
“Those who provide financial services, logistics, or commercial support to the IRGC or Mahan Air are helping sustain a terrorist enterprise,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a statement.
“Treasury will continue to identify them, expose them, and cut them off from the US financial system.”
Mahan Air operates as a civilian airline offering domestic and international flights, but Washington says it also provides travel services to IRGC personnel and helps move weapons for the force.
US forces claim redirected 24 vessels amid Iranian port blockade
A U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon approaches a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker for refueling while patrolling the Middle East. The P-8 is a specialized reconnaissance aircraft that is among the many assets monitoring regional waters during America's blockade against Iran. As of July… pic.twitter.com/5LJGLApwWR
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 30, 2026
Egypt president warns of regional ‘escalation’ after drone strike on port
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned on Thursday that the Middle East conflict was facing a serious escalation, after a drone struck a US-owned gas tanker in an Egyptian port.
According to his spokesman, during a call to Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Sisi “stressed the need for Egypt, Spain, Europe and the international community to work together to halt this escalation”.
US military says no US aircraft hit in attempted Iranian attacks
The US military said on Thursday that no US aircraft were destroyed or damaged in recent attempted Iranian attacks, denying a claim it said was made by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards that three US F-35 jets and three other aircraft were destroyed.
In a statement, US Central Command also said the commercial vessel M/T Nora had not broken through America’s blockade of Iranian ports, denying a claim it said was made on Iranian state media.
Kuwait’s chief of staff meets in Saudi Arabia with defence coalition for Bab el-Mandeb strait
Kuwait’s chief of staff, General Khaled Al-Shuraian, met in Saudi Arabia with a “maritime defence coalition” for preserving freedom of navigation in Bab el-Mandeb strait, Kuwait’s state news agency reported on Thursday.
Iran’s Araqchi warns Bulgaria over use of bases in US operations
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi urged Bulgaria to reconsider its decision to allow the temporary deployment of US military aircraft at the Bezmer air base, Iranian state media reported on Thursday.
During a phone call with his Bulgarian counterpart, Velislava Petrova-Chamova, Araqchi said Sofia’s approval of a US request to station military aircraft at the base to support military operations amounted to facilitating aggression against Iran, adding the move was unacceptable and contrary to the traditionally friendly relations between the two countries.
Iran has repeatedly warned countries allowing their territory to be used for US military operations against it that they could “face consequences”.
Araqchi held a separate phone call with Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos, during which he stressed the importance of preventing foreign military bases in Cyprus from being used against Iran.
France24
