Yemen's Houthis Considering Imposing Fees on Ships Sailing Through Red Sea

Yemen's Houthi group is considering imposing transit fees on commercial ships in the southern Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb gateway. Guided by Iranian advisers, the plan aims to pressure the United States and normalize waterway charges, though Chinese vessels would be exempt. The move follows a July 20, 2026, Houthi maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia, threatening critical global energy routes and raising fears of severe oil supply shortages.

Houthi Red Sea fees

• ▪Yemen's Houthi group is considering imposing fees on commercial ships sailing through the southern Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb gateway.
• ▪The proposed fees on Bab el-Mandeb transits aim to normalize charging for international waterways and increase pressure on the United States.

Iran-Houthi Bab el-Mandeb coordination

• ▪Iranian officials discussed imposing fees on Bab el-Mandeb transits with Houthi officials during a July 2026 visit to Tehran for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's funeral.
• ▪Iranian advisers accompanied Houthi officials back from Tehran to guide them on establishing an authority to regulate Bab el-Mandeb transit fees.

Chinese vessel exemptions

• ▪Chinese vessels are expected to be exempted from the proposed Houthi transit fees in the southern Red Sea.
• ▪China has held direct talks with the Houthis to allow its tankers to sail through the southern Red Sea without being attacked.

Saudi maritime blockade threat

• ▪The Houthis declared a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia on July 20, 2026, expanding attacks on tankers beyond the Gulf.
• ▪The Houthis claimed responsibility for attacking at least one Saudi tanker off the southern Saudi port of Jizan in late July 2026.

Red Sea shipping disruption

• ▪A closure of the Bab el-Mandeb would deprive Saudi Arabia of a critical alternative route to the Strait of Hormuz.
• ▪A 2024 United Nations Panel of Experts report alleged the Houthis previously collected unverified safe-passage fees estimated at $180 million monthly.