Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sought support from Egypt on Tuesday as the kingdom faces a growing wave of attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeting shipping and critical infrastructure.
The escalating attacks have added pressure on Saudi Arabia’s oil industry and contributed to rising global oil prices. The kingdom has largely confronted the Iranian-backed Houthis on its own as the rebels expanded their control in Yemen and increased their ability to threaten Saudi oil shipments through the Red Sea.
Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure has also come under renewed threat following an attack that damaged the country’s largest oil pipeline. The strike was reportedly carried out by Iran-aligned militias in Iraq.
Regional officials said repairs could take several weeks, leaving the East-West Pipeline largely out of operation and potentially removing several million barrels of oil per day from the global market.
The Houthi campaign has effectively created another pressure point in the broader Middle East conflict while strengthening Iran’s position against its regional rival, Saudi Arabia. Iran has also targeted maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, another major oil shipping route connecting the Persian Gulf with international waters.
Against this backdrop, Prince Mohammed met Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in Cairo to discuss regional security and maritime navigation.
In a statement, the Saudi crown prince said the two countries reaffirmed “their shared commitment to ensuring freedom and security of maritime navigation”
in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategically important passage linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
El-Sissi’s office separately issued a statement expressing:
“Egypt’s unwavering position in supporting Saudi Arabia.”
Neither government announced specific measures that could follow the meeting.
Egypt is not expected to provide direct military assistance to Saudi Arabia, but Cairo remains an influential player in the Arab world and could help build broader regional support for the kingdom.
Egypt has also played a central role in diplomatic and mediation efforts during years of instability in the Middle East, maintaining communication with various parties, including Iran and groups aligned with Tehran.