Yemen's Houthis deny plans to impose fees on ships sailing through Red Sea

Yemen's Houthi-run maritime body has denied reports of imposing fees on commercial ships transiting the Bab el-Mandeb strait, stating passage remains free.

Yemen's ​Houthi-run ​maritime coordination body ‌denied on ​Saturday reports that it ‌planned to impose fees on commercial ships transiting the Bab ‌el-Mandeb strait, saying no such ‌decision had been taken and that passage through ⁠the strategic ​waterway ⁠remained free.

The statement follows a ⁠Reuters report on Wednesday, citing regional ​sources, that the Iran-aligned ⁠Houthis were considering imposing fees on ⁠commercial ​ships sailing through the southern Red Sea, ⁠after declaring a maritime blockade ⁠on ⁠Saudi Arabia the previous week.