OfficialDiplomacy & politicsJeddah, Saudi Arabia
15 countries sign on to the Saudi-led maritime defense alliance at a Jeddah meeting
- Mountain Time
- Local time
- 11:00 PM in Riyadh
- Where
- Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia hosted the third planning meeting of the Multinational Maritime Defence Alliance in Jeddah with 39 countries, its defense ministry said. Fifteen have signed the joint statement and 13 have completed national procedures, signed the alliance charter and announced their accession, with the rest still finalizing.
Why it matters
The alliance, which Saudi Arabia leads and named a commander for the week before, is aimed at protecting shipping through Bab el-Mandeb, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, where Houthi attacks have hit Saudi-linked ships.
Sources (2)
- Al Jazeeraaljazeera.comPublished
- Al Jazeera (2)aljazeera.comPublished
Confidence: Stated by a named government, military, or institution. Not independently confirmed. About confidence labels
Correction
- Corrected the time from 7:30 PM Riyadh time, Aug 14, 2026 to 11:00 PM Riyadh time, Aug 13, 2026; corrected the headline (it read "Fifteen Nations Sign Maritime Security Alliance Statement in Saudi Arabia"); revised the summary; revised the context note; corrected the location from Saudi Arabia to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; changed the confidence label from reported to official; reclassified it from diplomatic to diplomacy; updated the sourcing note; added 2 sources: Al Jazeera; removed The National as a source (a rolling live page that now shows September news). Why and evidence