The Houthi movement is preparing to introduce a toll system for vessels passing through the Red Sea, according to reports. The plan mirrors a strategy Iran has used for years in the Strait of Hormuz — charging fees or threatening to block the waterway to exert political and economic pressure. If implemented, the toll could escalate tensions across the Middle East and disrupt one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
What the toll system would look like
The Houthis intend to collect fees from commercial ships transiting the Bab el-Mandeb strait, the narrow chokepoint between Yemen and Djibouti that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. The model is directly inspired by Iran's approach in the Strait of Hormuz, where Tehran has periodically threatened to close the passage or impose levies on tankers. The Houthis, who control large parts of Yemen including the coastline along the strait, have the geographic position to enforce such a system.
The Red Sea route carries roughly 12% of global maritime trade, including oil and liquefied natural gas shipments from the Persian Gulf to Europe and North America. A toll — or the threat of one — would raise shipping costs, increase insurance premiums, and could force vessels to take the longer, more expensive route around Africa's Cape of Good Hope. That would ripple through supply chains already strained by war in Ukraine and pandemic aftershocks.
Regional tensions on the rise
The move comes as the Houthis have already escalated attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea since late 2023, claiming solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The U.S. and U.K. have launched airstrikes against Houthi positions in Yemen in response. A formal toll system would be a new step, potentially drawing a stronger military response from the U.S.-led coalition patrolling the area. It could also deepen the proxy conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which backs Yemen's internationally recognized government.
No official announcement has been made by the Houthis, and it's unclear how they would collect fees or what penalties they'd impose for nonpayment. But the planning alone signals a shift from sporadic attacks to a more organized, revenue-seeking strategy — one that could reshape maritime security in the region for years to come.
