Riyadh, July 30 -- Saudi Arabia and 13 other nations have agreed to set up a defensive naval alliance to protect commercial vessels navigating critical chokepoints, including the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden, the Saudi Ministry of Defence announced on Thursday.

The development comes amid persistent maritime disruptions caused by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia carrying out a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia. Combined with ongoing transit bottlenecks stemming from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, these security threats have amplified global energy security fears, elevating crude oil prices towards USD 90 per barrel.

The Saudi Ministry of Defence listed the coalition's founding member states as Saudi Ar...