Yemen: Houthis plan to impose fees on navigation in the Bab al-Mandab - Sarmad
The internationally recognized Yemeni government has accused the Houthi militias of acting under Iranian directives to establish a mechanism that imposes fees on ships in the Bab al-Mandab strait, which connects the southern Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
Yemeni Minister of Information Maamar al-Iryani said on Wednesday that the Houthi group is working to implement a project aimed at imposing fees on commercial ships transiting Bab al-Mandab, describing the move as a “serious escalation” intended to turn one of the world’s most important maritime corridors into a permanent source of funding for the group’s military and “terrorist” activities, according to Euronews.
Al-Iryani added that these assessments are based on “confirmed intelligence information” recently obtained, noting that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps is involved in managing the project, with experts and advisors from it directly contributing to its technical and administrative aspects.
He clarified that the project involves creating a specialized body responsible for collecting payments from shipping companies and commercial vessels, thereby, in his words, institutionalizing a permanent mechanism for levying fees on ships transiting the strait.
Details of the Potential Project
Reuters quoted regional sources familiar with the matter as saying that Iranian officials discussed the idea of imposing fees on ships transiting Bab al-Mandab with a Houthi delegation that visited Tehran in July to attend the funeral of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Two regional officials stated that these discussions were part of broader arrangements concerning the management of the project.
The sources added that Houthi officials returned from Tehran accompanied by Iranian advisors, who are working on providing guidance regarding the establishment of a potential authority to organize and collect fees imposed on ships transiting the strait.
According to the same information, the plan aims to normalize the imposition of fees on international waterways while increasing pressure on the United States. The sources noted that Chinese ships would be exempt from these fees, a arrangement supported by the Houthis.
Commenting on these developments, Afrah al-Zoubi, the appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in the internationally recognized Yemeni government, stated that the Houthis “will try to extend their control over the Red Sea and will attempt to impose fees on ships if they are able to do so.”
Conversely, two Western diplomats said that any such attempt would face strong opposition from Gulf states and Europe, although they noted that the burdened international naval forces currently lack the sufficient capacity to provide protection for all commercial ships, given the limited political will to change this reality.
Concerns Over Energy Markets
The Houthis announced on July 20 a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, before later declaring attacks targeting Saudi tankers and oil facilities, a move that expanded the scope of their operations beyond Gulf waters and opened a new front against the United States and its allies amid the war with Iran.
