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

Yemen's Houthi-run maritime coordination body denied on Saturday that it plans to impose fees on commercial ships transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. This denial follows a Reuters report from Wednesday, which cited regional sources indicating the Iran-aligned Houthis were considering such fees after declaring a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia. The Houthi-run Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center (HOCC) stated that its "safe transit service was a voluntary and cost-free service" and urged shipping companies not to make payments or provide information to unauthorized entities, emphasizing that "any individual or entity requesting the payment of money... does not represent the Republic of Yemen or HOCC."