Saudi Arabia announced on July 30 the formation of a 14-country maritime defense alliance to secure navigation in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, Red Sea, and Gulf of Aden. The alliance includes Bahrain, Bangladesh, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Turkey, and Yemen, following a Riyadh meeting attended by representatives from 43 countries and an EU delegation. Houthi forces in Yemen have declared a maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia.