+ ↺ − 16 pxPakistan is ready to assist Saudi Arabia and other members of a maritime coalition established by Riyadh in efforts to safeguard shipping and global supply chains, a Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a statement on Wednesday. The statement came after a Houthi attack on a commercial vessel in the Red Sea that killed three Pakistani nationals and wounded another. Pakistan said talks between Iran and Oman over the Strait of Hormuz could serve as a “catalyst” for a broader peace process. Saudi Arabia earlier proposed forming a defense coalition to protect freedom of navigation and shipping in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, key maritime trade routes running along the coasts of Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The coalition is tasked with strengthening maritime security and freedom of navigation, protecting sea lanes and strategically important straits, and safeguarding international trade and global supply chains.