Yemen's Houthi group is considering imposing fees on commercial vessels sailing through the southern Red Sea, regional sources told Reuters, a week after announcing a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia. The Houthis, allied with Iran, declared the blockade on July 20, opening a new front against the United States and its allies in the Iran-Iraq conflict and expanding their attacks on tankers carrying global energy supplies and other cargo beyond the Gulf.
The sources stated that the Houthis are considering imposing fees on most shipping traffic through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which connects the southern Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, noting that no timeframe has been set for implementation at this stage.
The Houthi media office did not respond to a request for comment.
Houthi officials traveled to Iran in July to attend the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and discussed with their Iranian counterparts the issue of imposing fees on passage through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, two regional officials briefed by Tehran told Reuters.
The sources said the move aims to normalize the practice of imposing fees on international waterways and increase pressure on the United States. They added that Chinese ships would be exempt from these fees, and that the Houthis had expressed their support for this arrangement.
Sources told Reuters that China held direct talks with the Houthis to allow its tankers to sail through the southern Red Sea without being attacked. China is the world's largest buyer of Saudi oil.
Iranian advisors are involved in drafting the toll plan, an Arab official said. The Houthi officials who returned by plane from Tehran were accompanied by Iranian advisors on the ground, who are advising on the establishment of a potential body to regulate tolls on shipping through the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Afrah al-Zuba, the acting foreign minister in Yemen's internationally recognized government, told Reuters that the Houthis will try to gain influence in the Red Sea and will attempt to impose tolls on ships if they can. Two Western diplomats said such a move would face strong opposition from Gulf and European countries, although the overstretched international naval force is currently unable to provide adequate protection for commercial vessels, and the political will to do so appears limited. A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday that Tehran had rejected a proposal from Oman for joint regional management of the Strait of Hormuz, dashing hopes of ending a standoff that has paralyzed trade in the Gulf for months.
Saudi Arabia faces a threat to its oil supplies. Any closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait would deprive the Kingdom of a vital alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, exacerbating concerns about potential oil shortages. Shipping in the Red Sea has not fully returned to normal since the Houthis began attacking vessels off the Yemeni coast in November 2023, in what the group claimed was in support of Palestinians during the war in Gaza. The Houthis only ceased their attacks on commercial ships after a ceasefire was reached in Gaza last October. At least one Saudi oil tanker was attacked last week near the port of Jazan in southern Saudi Arabia, close to the Yemeni border, and the Houthis claimed responsibility. It has been reported that the Houthis collected fees from some shipping companies operating vessels through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden during the height of their maritime campaign in 2024 in exchange for safe passage. This was mentioned in a 2024 report by a UN Panel of Experts, which stated that it could not independently verify this information. These fees were estimated at around $180 million per month, but this detail has not been confirmed. The journey through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Asia takes an average of 16 days, compared to 50 days when changing course through the northern Red Sea, passing through the Suez Canal and then rounding South Africa.
