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Yemen's Houthis are developing a plan to charge commercial vessels transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait under the guidance of Iranian advisers, according to a report.
The strategy emerges just days after the group declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia. The move introduces a new pressure point for global shipping, as the Bab el-Mandeb serves as Saudi Arabia's primary alternative route to the Strait of Hormuz, where trade has faced months of disruptions.
The discussions took place after Houthi officials traveled to Iran in July to attend the funeral of late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, where their Iranian counterparts raised the issue of charging ships using the Bab el-Mandeb, regional officials briefed on the talks told Reuters.
Houthi representatives returned from Tehran accompanied by Iranian advisers who are helping establish a potential authority to regulate transit fees through the chokepoint.
The objective is to normalize the practice of collecting fees on international waterways while increasing pressure on the U.S., the report suggested.
"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 of Yemen's internationally recognized government, told Reuters.
The Houthis have already implemented a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia, describing it as retaliation for the kingdom's years-long "unjust and oppressive siege" of Yemen.
A day earlier, Reuters reported that China had held direct talks with Yemen's Houthi movement to ensure its tankers could continue transiting the southern Red Sea without coming under attack after the Iran-backed group announced a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia.
After the war with the U.S. and Israel broke out on Feb. 28, Iran moved to restrict access to the Persian Gulf by introducing a permit system for commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran later unveiled plans to charge transit-related fees and established the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) to process passage requests, oversee navigation and administer the new regime across the strategic waterway, which normally carries about one-fifth of global oil flow.
The system remained in place until Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding in June aimed at ending the conflict.
Under the interim agreement, Iran agreed to waive planned fees for a 60-day negotiation period while continuing to require vessels to submit transit requests at least 48 hours in advance through the PGSA for route coordination and safety clearance.
Shipping data from MarineTraffic showed that 41 commodity vessels transited the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on July 28, while traffic through the Strait of Hormuz increased to 12 commodity vessels making the crossing.
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