Oil prices extended losses on Friday as investors assessed Saudi Arabia's proposal to lead a multinational maritime defense coalition aimed at bolstering security along key Red Sea shipping routes.
Saudi Arabia is seeking to spearhead a coalition to enhance defense cooperation in the Bab El-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The Saudi defense ministry said 14 countries, including Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan and Djibouti, had issued a joint statement backing the proposed maritime security alliance.