A minister from Yemen's internationally recognized government accused on the 29th that the Yemeni 'Houthi Movement', under the guidance of Iran, has begun establishing a mechanism to charge ships passing through the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
After Iran declared it had 'control' over the safe passage of the Strait of Hormuz, concerns have risen regarding maritime routes that serve as crucial channels for Saudi Arabian crude oil to reach the international market.
Yemeni Information Minister al-Eryani stated that this move by the 'Houthi Movement' aims to turn one of the world's most strategically important maritime corridors into a steady source of funding for the group's military and terrorist activities, thus escalating the dangerous situation.
He said that this assessment was based on recently obtained solid intelligence, indicating that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is helping to push this forward.
He told AFP that intelligence shows experts and advisers from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard are directly involved in designing the technical and administrative structure of this plan, which will include the establishment of a dedicated agency responsible for charging shipping companies and merchant vessels.
Persian Gulf countries are increasingly worried that the 'Houthi Movement' hopes to profit from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in imitation of Iran's practice in the Strait of Hormuz. In this way, the global energy market could be further disrupted.