Saudi Arabia on Wednesday said it would join a U.S.-led international maritime safety coalition in the Gulf in the wake of an attack on its oil facilities over the weekend.
The Saudi state news agency SPA, citing an unnamed Defence Ministry official, reported that the alliance would cover the vital waterways of the Strait of Hormuz, Bab al-Mandab, the Sea of Oman and the Gulf.
Tensions have mounted in the oil-rich region this week after a drone attack, claimed by Yemen’s Iran-linked Houthi rebels, struck major Saudi oil installations operated by the Saudi state giant, Aramco over the weekend.
Saudi Arabia and the U.S. have blamed the attack on Iran, a regional rival of Saudi Arabia, though Tehran has denied the charge.
Saudi Arabia claimed that Iranian weapons were used in the attack.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday called the attack a “real test to the international community’s will in confronting subversive acts threatening international security and stability,’’ he said in a telephone call with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, according to SPA.
French President Emmanuel Macron also spoke with Bin Salman by telephone on Wednesday and agreed to send French experts to Saudi Arabia to help investigate the cause of the attacks, according to a statement from the Elysee Palace.
U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, was due in Saudi Arabia later Wednesday to discuss a potential response with Saudi leaders.
He was expected to meet with the Saudi crown prince in the city of Jeddah.
Saudi Arabia’s decision to join the international maritime security coalition was made to support efforts to “deter and confront” threats to maritime navigation and world trade as well as secure global energy, according to the SPA report.
The U.S. has been seeking allies for its naval mission, which aims to protect commercial ships to ensure freedom of navigation and international trade.
This is coming after Iran seized two foreign oil tankers in apparent retaliation for Britain impounding an Iranian tanker in early July.
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