Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called for free and secure navigation in the Red Sea during talks in Cairo on Tuesday, as the kingdom vowed to respond "firmly" to attacks by Yemen's Houthis.

The regional powers discussed the threat posed by the Iran-backed group's control over the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a key shipping route vital to both Saudi oil exports and Egypt's Suez Canal revenues.

They called for "ensuring the freedom and security of maritime navigation" 
through the straits of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab, the Egyptian presidency 
said, adding that Sisi affirmed Egypt's support for measures taken by the 
kingdom "to protect its security and stability".

The Bab al-Mandab, the southern gateway to the Red Sea and the Suez, has 
become essential to Saudi oil exports this year after Iran blocked the Strait 
of Hormuz during the Middle East war, throttling shipments via the Gulf.

Last week, the Houthis seized control of all of Yemen's Red Sea coast and the 
Bab al-Mandab, threatening the last direct route to Asian markets for the 
world's largest oil exporter.

Since the Houthis declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in July, the 
kingdom has relied more heavily on Egypt to export oil, chiefly through its 
Sumed pipeline.

Crude is transported from the Saudi Red Sea port of Yanbu to Egypt's Ain 
Sokhna, and carried overland through the pipeline to the eastern 
Mediterranean at Sidi Kerir.

But a recent drone attack, which Riyadh said was launched from Iraq, forced 
it to shut the East-West pipeline that feeds Yanbu, pushing global oil prices 
above the $100 threshold.

- 'Reassurance' -

Disruption to shipping through Bab al-Mandab could hit Egypt with heavy 
losses too, with Cairo reliant on Suez Canal tolls for crucial foreign 
revenue.

Revenues from the waterway are currently around half of what they were before 
the Houthis first started attacking ships in the Red Sea in 2023, a campaign 
they said was in solidarity with Palestinians during Israel's war against 
Hamas in Gaza.

Egypt recorded $4.67 billion in Suez Canal revenues for the 2025/2026 fiscal 
year, down from $8.8 billion in 2022/2023.

IMF PortWatch data analysed by AFP also showed that average daily transits 
through the Suez remain at little more than half their pre-Gaza War level.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said last week that Cairo's Suez 
Canal losses stood at $11 billion.

According to Mirette Mabrouk of the Washington-based Middle East Institute, 
the Saudi crown prince "will be looking for reassurance that, if necessary, 
he will have Egypt's support" in securing Bab al-Mandab.

US media reported last week that President Donald Trump had rejected a 
request from Prince Mohammed to intervene in the war.

Yet Cairo, known for its conservative foreign policy and penchant for 
mediation, "is not going to be pushed into a military fight that it does not 
think is in its interest, or one that can be avoided", Mabrouk told AFP.

Ajkaler Khobor/MK