The Multinational Maritime Defense Coalition (MMDC) is a 14-country military alliance that was formed during the 2026 Iran war to ensure that globally vital waterways surrounding the Arabian Peninsula—the Gulf of Aden, the Strait of Mandeb, and the Red Sea—remain open to international traffic amidst threats from Houthi-controlled Yemen and other potential actors.Founding States Issue Joint Declaration on Establishing Multinational Maritime Defense Alliance - Saudi Press Agency It comprises Bahrain, Bangladesh, the Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Maldives, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Turkey and Republic of Yemen (internationally-recognized; led by the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC)).
Signing The founding states of the Multinational Maritime Defense Alliance issued a joint declaration on 30 July 2026 following their meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the text of which reads as follows:
History
Yemeni civil war
Since 2014, the Saudi-led intervention in the Yemeni civil war has been aimed at restoring the country's territorial integrity under the internationally recognized Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), which was ousted from Sanaa during the Houthi takeover of Yemen. However, Iranian support for the Houthis has contributed significantly the movement's ability to remain in power at the cost of making Yemen a key front in the decades-long Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy war.
Red Sea crisis and formation of the alliance
The joint statement declaring the alliance's founding in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, came in the context of freedom of navigation being further threatened by the Houthi movement in the context of the Red Sea crisis, which has coincided with the Gaza war. In an escalation of the Houthi–Saudi conflict on 14 July, the Houthis had launched missiles at and declared a blockade of Saudi Arabia in response to a PLC airstrike on Sanaa International Airport that was aimed at preventing an Iranian aircraft carrying Houthi officials from landing, forcing it to divert to Hodeidah International Airport, which also lies in Houthi-controlled territory.
See also Houthi attacks on commercial vessels Axis of Resistance
References