A Minister in Yemen’s internationally recognised government on Wednesday (July 29, 2026) accused Houthi rebels of working under Iranian guidance to establish a system to impose fees for ships transiting the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The narrow maritime artery has been a critical waterway for delivering vast quantities of Saudi crude to the international market, after energy exports were largely choked off by fighting in the Strait of Hormuz.

Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani described “the move as 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”.

Mr. Eryani said the assessment was provided by recently obtained “confirmed intelligence” indicating that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards were helping manage the effort.

“The intelligence indicates that IRGC experts and advisers are directly involved in designing the technical and administrative framework of the project,” the minister added in comments exclusive to AFP.

He added that this would include “the establishment of a dedicated entity responsible for collecting payments from shipping companies and commercial vessels”.

Anxieties are growing across the Gulf that the Houthis are hoping to copy Iran’s playbook in the Strait of Hormuz by monetising access to the Bab al-Mandab Strait — a move likely to send world energy markets into further disarray.

Last week, the Houthis announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and have since claimed attacks targeting Saudi tankers and oil infrastructure.

The blockade has threatened Saudi Arabia’s ability to export millions of barrels of crude a day, cutting off the kingdom’s only other maritime route following Iran’s parallel blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen warned Saturday (December 27, 2025) it would immediately respond to any military movements of separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that undermine de-escalation efforts in the southern region of the country.

“Any military movements that violate these efforts will be dealt with directly and immediately in order to protect civilian lives and ensure the success of restoring calm,” said Brig Gen Turki al-Maliki, a coalition spokesman, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

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Al-Maliki also accused the Southern Transitional Council (STC) separatists of “serious and horrific human rights violations against civilians,” without providing evidence.

This came a day after separatists accused Saudi Arabia of targeting their forces with airstrikes, something not formally acknowledged by the kingdom, whose relations with the UAE have been strained due to STC actions.

Yemen, engulfed in a civil war for more than a decade, has the Iran-backed Houthis controlling much of the northern regions, while a Saudi-UAE-backed coalition supports the internationally recognised government in the south. However, the UAE also backs the southern separatists who call for South Yemen to secede once again from Yemen.

The Council moved earlier this month into Yemen’s governorates of Hadramout and Mahra and seized an oil-rich region. That had pushed out forces affiliated with the Saudi-backed National Shield Forces, another group aligned with the coalition in fighting the Houthis.

The coalition now demands the withdrawal of STC forces from the two governorates, with local authorities back to overseeing them, and the handover of their military camps.

Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, the governing body of the internationally recognised government, said after an emergency meeting late Friday (December 26) that STC movements posed “serious violations against civilians”.

The coalition said in its Saturday (December 27) announcement came at al-Alimi’s request to protect civilians in Hadramout.