Houthi official denies reports of plan to charge ships passing through Bab al-Mandab

A senior political official from Yemen’s Houthi movement has denied reports that the group plans to impose fees on commercial ships passing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Hizam al-Assad, a member of the political bureau of the Houthi movement (Ansar Allah), said in a statement issued on Wednesday evening that Bab al-Mandab Strait “is open to international navigation safely and securely, except for Saudi shipping”.

He said Saudi vessels would remain banned from using the waterway until Riyadh lifts its blockade on Yemen, restores what he described as the Yemeni people’s legitimate rights, respects the country’s sovereignty and stops interfering in its internal affairs.

Earlier, Reuters, citing informed sources, reported that the Houthi movement was considering imposing transit fees on commercial vessels passing through Bab al-Mandab Strait, at the southern entrance to the Red Sea.

According to the sources, the proposed charges would apply to most shipping using the strategic waterway linking the southern Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. They said no timetable had yet been set for introducing the measures.

Two regional officials, citing information from Tehran, told Reuters that Houthi officials travelled to Iran in July to attend the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, where they discussed the proposal with Iranian counterparts.

The officials said the plan was intended to normalise the practice of charging fees for passage through international waterways and increase pressure on the United States.

They added that Chinese vessels would be exempt from the proposed fees and that the Houthis had expressed support for such an arrangement.

On 20 July, the Houthis announced a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, opening a new front against the United States and its allies in the conflict with Iran and expanding attacks on tankers carrying global energy supplies and other goods beyond Gulf waters.

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