00:00The Iran-aligned Houthi movement is reportedly considering a major new step that could further
00:06disrupt one of the world's busiest maritime trade routes.
00:10According to Reuters, the Houthis are studying plans to impose fees on commercial vessels
00:16transiting the Bab al-Mondeb Street, a strategic waterway connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf
00:22of Aden and carrying an estimated 12 percent of global trade.
00:27Reuters cites regional officials and diplomatic sources familiar with the discussions.
00:32The Houthis have not publicly confirmed the reported proposal.
00:36The reported move comes just one week after the Houthis announced a maritime blockade against
00:42Saudi Arabia, opening a new front in the wider regional confrontation linked to the Iran conflict.
00:49Sources told Reuters that the proposal would apply to most commercial shipping, although
00:54Chinese-flagged vessels could be exempted under the reported arrangement.
00:58According to the report, the idea emerged during recent discussions between Houthi officials
01:04and Iranian representatives in Tehran, where a Houthi delegation had traveled to attend the
01:10funeral of Iran's late supreme leader.
01:12Regional officials told Reuters that Iranian advisors later accompanied Houthi officials
01:18back to Yemen to help examine the creation of a possible authority that could regulate transit
01:24fees through the Bab al-Mondeb.
01:26The reported objective is to normalize the practice of collecting fees on international
01:31waterways while increasing political and economic pressure on the United States and its allies.
01:37The proposal has already drawn concern across the region.
01:41Saudi Arabia has strongly criticized the recent Houthi naval blockade, describing attacks on commercial
01:48shipping as piracy following the reported strike on a Saudi tanker near the port of Jizan.
01:54The Houthis claimed responsibility for that attack.
01:57Analysts warn that any attempt to impose shipping fees or further restrict access to the Bab al-Mondeb
02:04could have significant consequences for global trade and energy markets.
02:08The Bab al-Mondeb serves as a critical alternative route to the Strait of Hormuz, particularly for
02:14Saudi oil exports.
02:16Disruptions at both choke points would increase pressure on international shipping, raise insurance
02:22costs, and force more vessels to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope, adding weeks to delivery times.
02:29According to Reuters, Western diplomats believe such a move would face strong opposition from Gulf and
02:35European countries.
02:37However, they also noted that international naval forces are already stretched and may have limited
02:43capacity to guarantee merchant shipping across the region.
02:47Reuters also reported that China has previously held direct talks with the Houthis to help ensure
02:53safe passage for Chinese vessels through the Red Sea.
02:56China remains the world's largest buyer of Saudi crude oil.
03:00The developments come as Tehran has reportedly rejected Oman's proposal for a joint regional
03:06mechanism to manage the Strait of Hormuz, reducing hoax for a broader diplomatic solution to maritime
03:13tensions.
03:28The Red Sea is once again emerging as one of the world's most dangerous flashpoints.
03:34Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement has launched a fresh wave of missile and drone attacks against
03:40Saudi Arabia, raising fears that the conflict is expanding into a new front with potentially
03:46serious consequences for global shipping and energy markets.
03:50According to Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sari, the group carried out retaliatory strikes
03:56against what it described as Saudi military and economic targets.
04:00The Houthis say the attacks were launched in response to recent Saudi airstrikes on Houthi-controlled
04:06areas, including the strategic Red Sea port of Hodeidah.
04:11Reports from Houthi-affiliated media said explosions struck telecommunications facilities in Hodeidah
04:17and nearby Kamaran Island, leaving at least one civilian injured.
04:22Meanwhile, reports from Saudi Arabia indicated powerful explosions near the key Red Sea port city
04:29of Yanbil, while additional strikes were reported in the Jizan and Damad regions in the Kingdom's
04:35Southwest.
04:36Saudi authorities said several incoming missiles and drones were intercepted.
04:41However, officials acknowledged that at least one vessel operating in the Red Sea sustained
04:46damage during the attacks.
04:48The latest escalation follows the Houthis' declaration of a naval blockade targeting Saudi-linked shipping
04:54in the Red Sea.
05:05The group accuses Riyadh of violating previous de-escalation understandings and supporting
05:11military operations against Houthi-controlled territory.
05:15In recent days, the Houthis have also claimed attacks on Saudi-linked oil tankers, including
05:21the Ancelia and Leila.
05:23According to Houthis' statements, one tanker caught fire near Jizan.
05:27Saudi sources confirmed minor damage to one tanker, but said the crew successfully contained
05:33the incident.
05:34The growing confrontation carries implications far beyond Yemen.
05:39Since disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia has increasingly relied on the Red
05:45Sea export hub at Yanbu to move crude oil to international markets.
05:49Millions of barrels of oil now transit through the Bab-el-Mondeb Strait, making it one of the
05:56world's most strategically important maritime choke points.
06:00Security concerns have already prompted several commercial vessels to alter their routes or
06:05delay voyages through the area.
06:08Saudi Arabia's coalition has responded with fresh airstrikes on what it describes as Houthi
06:14military infrastructure linked to attacks on Red Sea shipping.
06:17Riyadh warned that any further hostile actions would be met with additional military measures.
06:24Analysts warned the latest exchanges threatened to unravel years of relative calm following
06:31the 2022 truce in Yemen.
06:33The renewed violence also risks drawing additional regional powers into an already volatile conflict,
06:40linked to broader tensions involving Iran and the United States.
06:45Houthi officials have vowed that further Saudi military operations will be met with additional
06:51retaliation, declaring that recent strikes have opened the gates of escalation.
06:56As missiles, drones and naval threats continue to spread across one of the world's busiest energy
07:02corridors, concerns are mounting that the Red Sea could become the next major theater of instability
07:09in an already fragile Middle East.
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