Yemen Accuses Houthis Of Planning Red Sea Transit Fee System With Iranian Support

Yemen’s internationally recognised government has accused the Iran-backed Houthis of planning to charge commercial ships using the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, saying Iran is helping the group develop a system to collect transit fees.

Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said on Wednesday (July 29) that intelligence obtained by the government showed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was assisting the Houthis in creating the technical and administrative framework needed to collect payments from shipping companies using the strategic waterway.

“The intelligence indicates that IRGC experts and advisers are directly involved in designing the technical and administrative framework of the project,” al-Eryani told AFP.

He said the proposed system would include setting up a dedicated authority to collect payments from commercial vessels.

Al-Eryani described the alleged plan as “a dangerous escalation aimed at transforming one of the world’s most strategic maritime corridors into a permanent source of funding for the militia’s military and terrorist activities.”

Tensions continue to rise in the Red Sea. Last week, the Houthis announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and have since claimed attacks on Saudi oil tankers and energy infrastructure.

The Bab al-Mandab Strait has become increasingly important for global oil shipments after fighting in the Strait of Hormuz disrupted energy exports, making the Red Sea route a key corridor for Saudi crude reaching international markets.

The Houthi blockade has threatened Saudi Arabia’s ability to export millions of barrels of crude oil a day, putting pressure on the kingdom’s main alternative maritime route while shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains affected.

Reuters separately reported that senior Houthi officials travelled to Iran in July to attend the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, where Iranian officials discussed introducing transit charges for ships passing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

According to two regional officials briefed by Tehran, the proposal was intended to normalise charging fees for the use of international waterways while increasing pressure on the United States.

The officials also said Chinese vessels would be exempt from the proposed charges and that the Houthis supported the idea.

Reuters reported that China, the world’s largest importer of Saudi crude oil, has previously held direct talks with the Houthis to allow its tankers to pass safely through the southern Red Sea.

An Arab official cited by Reuters said Houthi officials returning from Tehran were accompanied by Iranian advisers who would help establish an authority to regulate and collect transit fees through the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

“The Houthis will try to gain access over the Red Sea and they will try to charge ships if they do,” Afrah al-Zouba, the foreign minister-designate in Yemen’s internationally recognised government, told Reuters.

Western diplomats told Reuters that any attempt by the Houthis to impose transit fees would likely face strong opposition from Gulf and European countries.

They added that international naval forces remain overstretched and there is limited political support for a military response to protect merchant shipping.

References: Livemint, The Hindu