Houthis Deny Red Sea Transit Fee Reports, Say Bab al-Mandeb Is Free

Houthis Announce Free Passage Through Red Sea, Deny Fee Claims

Yemen's Houthis announced that passage through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait is free and the safe transit service is voluntary. They denied Reuters reports claiming a fee plan was discussed with Iran.

Scraper SystemAugust 01, 2026, 12:05 PM

Houthis Announce Free Passage Through Red Sea, Deny Fee Claims

The Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center (HOCC), linked to Yemen's Houthis, firmly denied claims that fees would be charged for passage through the Red Sea. In a statement on Saturday, the center stressed that passage through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait is free and that the "safe transit service" is voluntary.

The statement said that those demanding fees for passage do not represent Yemen or the HOCC, and it called on shipping companies not to make payments or share information with unauthorized individuals.

This denial came after a Reuters report on Wednesday that cited regional sources. The Reuters report claimed that Iran-aligned Houthis were considering imposing fees on ships passing through Bab al-Mandeb, a week after declaring a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia. Anonymous sources alleged that the idea was conveyed to Iranian officials during a Houthi visit to Tehran in early July, and that Iranian advisers helped establish an authority to regulate the fees.

The Bab al-Mandeb Strait, used by ships carrying oil and other cargo between Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, is a vital passage linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Yemen's appointed Foreign Minister Afrah al-Zouba said on Tuesday that the Houthis are trying to "copy the Iranian model." Any fee imposed at Bab al-Mandeb would severely affect Saudi Arabia, which relies on the strait as an alternative export route due to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Houthis launched a prolonged campaign against Red Sea shipping after Israel's war on Gaza began in 2023, and they halted their attacks only after a ceasefire was reached last October. A United Nations expert report revealed that the group may have collected significant informal fees from shipping agencies in 2024, though this claim was not independently verified. Traffic through the strait has still not returned to pre-2023 levels.

In response to renewed threats, Saudi Arabia announced this week the formation of a naval coalition of 14 countries aimed at safeguarding freedom of navigation in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden.

Houthis Announce Free Passage Through Red Sea, Deny Fee Claims

Yemen's Houthis announced that passage through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait is free and the safe transit service is voluntary. They denied Reuters reports claiming a fee plan was discussed with Iran.