Published: 11:57 PM, 02 August 2026
Saudi-led alliance aimed at Houthis, not Iran
Says Humaiun Kobir
People sit in a fishing boat sailing through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait off Yemen's southern Taiz province. - AFP
Prime Minister's Foreign Affairs Adviser Humaiun Kobir has said that Bangladesh has joined a Saudi Arabia-led maritime alliance to counter Houthi threats, as Dhaka seeks to deepen its ties with Riyadh into a broader strategic partnership.
The alliance was not intended to target Iran, with Dhaka maintaining dialogue with Tehran, he added while speaking to reporters in Dhaka on Sunday.
"The main point is that we have a special relationship with Saudi Arabia. And we are not limiting our relationship with Saudi Arabia to Hajj and Umrah alone," Humaiun said.
He said the relationship would extend beyond religious ties and develop into a "very strong strategic relationship".
Citing Saudi Arabia's role as custodian of the two holy mosques in Makkah and Medina, Humaiun said Bangladesh would respond to any Saudi request for security assistance on "moral and ideological grounds" as one of the world's largest Muslim-majority countries.
"Basically, this is to address the Houthi challenge there. On the other hand, we are also talking to Iran. So it is not that we have to attack Iran," he said. The Saudi-led maritime alliance aims to protect the Bab al-Mandab Strait, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, vital waterways for global trade and energy supplies threatened by Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen.
International media have reported Bangladesh as one of the alliance's founding members.
Asked whether Bangladesh would send troops, Humaiun said it would provide assistance against the Houthis based on the resources available to the country.
