The Houthi movement in Yemen is planning to impose fees on vessels transiting the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to a Reuters report. The plan mirrors the toll system already enforced by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Houthi movement in Yemen is planning to impose fees on vessels transiting the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, with the scheme explicitly modeled on the toll system enforced by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a Reuters report published Wednesday afternoon. The report, which cites a named source, marks the clearest indication yet that the Houthis intend to replicate the IRGC's revenue-generating blockade model at a second strategic chokepoint.
The Zioneer reported earlier Wednesday at 13:13 Jerusalem that the Houthis were considering transit fees, after initial reports indicated the group had discussed the plan with Iranian officials during a visit to Tehran last month, with Chinese vessels reportedly exempt. The new Reuters report confirms the direct link to the IRGC's Hormuz system, which has been a source of escalating tension in the Persian Gulf.
As The Zioneer has reported since June, the IRGC has formalized a transit fee regime in the Strait of Hormuz, charging up to $2 million per vessel and threatening force against unauthorized traffic. The Houthi plan, if implemented, would extend that principle to the Red Sea's southern entrance, where the group has already attacked Israel-linked and Western shipping.
No specific fee structure or implementation timeline has been disclosed, and no official Houthi statement has been confirmed. The report remains based on a single unnamed source, and the scope of vessels that would be subject to the fee remains unclear.
4 developments
- StrongHouthis complete preparations to attack vessels in southern Red Sea, deploy missiles and drones near Bab el-Mandeb
- DevelopingIran Begins Charging Ships for Strait of Hormuz Transit — Up to $2 Million Per Vessel
- DevelopingIran and Oman advance joint plan for Strait of Hormuz transit fees
- DevelopingHouthis announce readiness to strike vessels near Bab el-Mandeb, Reuters reports
Source and signal
- Open-source intake