Houthis, Backed by Iran, Plan to Charge Ships Transiting Bab el-Mandeb, Threatening Global Energy Markets

The Houthi armed group is working with Iran to charge ships to transit the Bab el-Mandeb in the Red Sea, threatening another waterway after Tehran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a minister in Yemen's internationally recognised government said on Wednesday.

The Bab el-Mandeb, a narrow maritime artery in the Red Sea whose name means "Gate of Tears" in Arabic, has been a critical route for delivering crude to the international market after Tehran's attacks and threats choked off Gulf energy exports via Hormuz.

The move was "a dangerous escalation aimed at transforming one of the world's most strategic maritime corridors into a permanent source of funding for the militia's military and terrorist activities," Yemen's Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said.

Eryani said the assessment was based on recently obtained "confirmed intelligence" indicating that Iran's IRGC were helping to manage the effort. "The intelligence indicates that IRGC experts and advisers are directly involved in designing the technical and administrative framework of the project," Eryani added, confirming earlier reports by international media on Wednesday on Houthis' plans.

Eryani said this would include "the establishment of a dedicated entity responsible for collecting payments from shipping companies and commercial vessels".

Further disarray on the horizon

The fate of Hormuz remains a sticking point between the US and Iran. Tehran insists on its right to collect tolls on ships using the waterway, which previously carried one-fifth of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas.

Anxieties are growing across the Gulf that the Houthis are hoping to copy Iran's playbook in Hormuz by monetising access to the Bab al-Mandeb at the mouth of the Red Sea — a move likely to send world energy markets into further disarray.

Houthi attacks on Israel-linked vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden caused cargo volumes to plunge during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, with ships forced into a lengthy detour around southern Africa.

Last week, the Houthis — officially known as Ansar Allah — announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and have since claimed attacks targeting Saudi tankers and oil infrastructure.

The Houthis, who came to power in late 2014 after storming Sana'a and seizing the presidential palace and key military sites, forcing Yemen's government into exile, are part of Tehran's so-called "Axis of Resistance".

The Axis is a network of militant groups in several countries in the region, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and militias in Iraq.

While the Houthis do not control the part of Yemen’s coastline along Bab el-Mandeb, they hold territory less than 100 kilometres away.

The blockade has threatened Saudi Arabia's ability to export millions of barrels of crude oil per day. Riyadh has retaliated with strikes targeting Houthi positions.

On Wednesday, the US and Saudi Arabia launched strikes on members of a paramilitary alliance in Iraq that includes pro-Iran groups, killing at least 20 people, the Iraqi alliance said.