U.S. general says will work "aggressively" to enable free passage in the Gulf

U.S. Central Command chief General Kenneth McKenzie said on Thursday it was talking to other countries about freedom of navigation in the Gulf and will work "aggressively" to find a solution to enable free passage. McKenzie was talking to reporters in Riyadh in a joint news conference with General Prince Fahd bin Turki, commander of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen.

Asked if Saudi Arabia will have a role in a proposed international maritime security coalition, Prince Fahd said the kingdom has been escorting ships in the Red Sea. "We are practicing this at Bab al-Mandeb Strait," he added.