The Kingdom of Bahrain: A Hub for International Efforts to Ensure Maritime Security in the Arabian Gulf
When we talk about maritime security in the Arabian Gulf, our minds immediately turn to the Strait of Hormuz and the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb, As for the Strait of Hormuz, Gulf countries rely on it for their trade with the rest of the world, particularly three countries that have no alternative outlets: the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Qatar, and the State of Kuwait, which depend entirely on the strait for their maritime trade, whether for oil, gas, or other commodities. As for the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, all Gulf states rely on it for their maritime trade with various regions of the world.
This means that the Gulf states have a strategic interest in securing navigation through these two straits, not only because they are the arteries of international maritime trade for them, but also because Iran and its proxies seek to exploit these waterways in regional and international conflicts—a reality reflected not only in the events of the recent war but also in Iran’s regional policies over the past decades.
Anyone following international efforts to counter maritime security threats in the region will likely find that the Kingdom of Bahrain has been the cornerstone of those efforts; it is the headquarters of the Combined Task Force, an international force comprising 47 countries —to date—comprising various task forces, including Task Force 151, which specializes in countering maritime security threats in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman. Bahrain has chaired this force on multiple occasions through the Royal Bahraini Navy, part of the Bahrain Defense Force, thereby gaining extensive experience in handling maritime emergencies over the past years.
On the other hand, the Kingdom of Bahrain has been keen to provide support and join all efforts aimed at countering threats to maritime security, beginning with its support for Operation “Resolute Will,” led by the administration of U.S. President Ronald Reagan from July 1987 to September 1988 to protect oil tankers in the Arabian Gulf from attacks during the Iran-Iraq War; through the Kingdom’s accession to the “Sentinel” maritime coalition for navigation security in the Arabian Gulf, alongside six other countries led by the United States during Donald Trump’s first presidential term in 2019; and culminating in its accession to the “Guardian of Prosperity” coalition, established by the United States in December 2023, which aims to protect maritime navigation in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden from Houthi attacks in Yemen.
Alongside these security contributions, there is another political track. Following the Kingdom of Bahrain’s election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2026–2027 term, His Excellency Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Minister of Foreign Affairs, noted that the Kingdom had several priorities during this term, including ensuring maritime navigation in the Arabian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, which found its way toward implementation through the draft resolution submitted by the Kingdom regarding freedom of navigation in the Strait; however, the Security Council was unable to adopt it on April 7, 2026, due to the Russian-Chinese veto against it. In addition, His Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs chaired a Security Council session on April 27, at the request of the Kingdom of Bahrain to discuss maritime security. It was an open debate involving more than 80 countries, and during that session, His Excellency Minister Al-Zayani delivered a speech that included the following: First, More than 90,000 ships sail the seas and oceans daily, carrying billions of dollars’ worth of cargo, meaning that any threat to these corridors requires a collective international response. Second: Any restriction or obstruction of international navigation will directly affect international trade, energy security, and global economic stability, as well as the supply of food and medicine and the delivery of humanitarian aid. Third: It is important to emphasize that there are solid foundations upon which to build practical institutional measures to strengthen globally applicable maritime navigation rules, including Security Council Resolution 552 of 1984, Security Council Resolution 2817, Human Rights Council Resolution 1/61, as well as the Security Council Presidential Statement issued on April 2, 2026.
In my view, the Kingdom of Bahrain’s efforts have paved the way for important security and political avenues for international cooperation in addressing maritime security threats, which affect all aspects of life and impact all economic sectors worldwide. Unless there is collective international action to secure all vital maritime corridors, the world is headed toward periods of economic stagnation and recession, and a new era of unprecedented security threats, which will exemplify asymmetric warfare. At sea, high-value targets can be struck at low cost, and I am not exaggerating when I say that the world’s economic future—whether prosperity or decline—is linked to the security of the seas and international waterways.
Note: This article has been automatically translated, the full article is available in Arabic.
Dr. Ashraf Mohamed Kishk, Director of Strategic and International Studies
