Saudi Arabia seeks coalition to counter Houthi Red Sea toll plan

Key facts

• Yemen's Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani announced Iran's IRGC advisers are helping Houthis design a toll system for the Bab el-Mandeb strait.
• The Houthi plan to charge ships for passage through the Bab el-Mandeb mirrors Iran's actions in the Strait of Hormuz.
• The toll system is intended to create a permanent funding source for the Houthi militia's activities.
• IRGC experts are reportedly involved in establishing an entity to collect payments from shipping companies.
• Saudi Arabia is working to form an international coalition to protect Red Sea shipping from Houthi threats.

Yemen's Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani announced that intelligence indicates Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) advisers are involved in designing a Houthi-enforced toll system for the Bab el-Mandeb strait. This initiative mirrors Iran's assertions of control and potential fee collection in the Strait of Hormuz.

Al-Eryani described the plan 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." He stated that IRGC experts are directly engaged in establishing the technical and administrative framework for collecting payments from shipping companies.

The Bab el-Mandeb is a critical route for crude oil and LNG, its importance amplified by previous disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. Concerns are rising that the Houthi plan could further destabilize global energy markets.

The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, have previously targeted vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. They recently announced a blockade of Saudi Arabia and claimed attacks on Saudi tankers and oil infrastructure. The group is part of Iran's "Axis of Resistance."

In response to escalating threats, Saudi Arabia and the U.S. conducted strikes on Wednesday against members of an Iraqi paramilitary alliance linked to Iran, resulting in at least 20 fatalities, according to the alliance.