Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi terrorists are considering imposing fees on commercial ships sailing through the southern Red Sea, a vital trade route that has already faced years of severe disruption, according to a report by Reuters.

The proposal would establish a system for collecting payments from vessels passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Sources said Iran has discussed the plan with the Houthis, while Iranian advisers are helping develop a possible authority to regulate ship traffic and collect the fees.

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

China has reportedly held direct talks with the Houthis to secure exemptions for Chinese vessels. Chinese tankers have continued sailing through the southern Red Sea despite the ongoing threats to international shipping.

Any attempt by the Houthis to impose fees is expected to face strong opposition from Gulf countries and European governments. A closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait would also threaten a crucial alternative route for Saudi oil exports while the Strait of Hormuz remains under pressure.

Shipping traffic through the Red Sea has not fully recovered since the Houthis began attacking vessels in November 2023. Rerouting ships around South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope can add more than two weeks to voyages between Asia and Europe.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)