The Minister of Information from Yemen has stated that the secret services have confirmed the direct involvement of advisors from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the development of a taxation system imposed by the Houthi rebels for the Bab el-Mandeb strait, following the model of Iran’s claim to levy taxes in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Houthi armed group is collaborating with Tehran to levy taxes on ships transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea, thus threatening another major navigational route following Tehran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, said a minister of the internationally recognized Yemeni government on Wednesday, according to Euronews.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a narrow maritime artery in the Red Sea whose name means “Gate of Tears” in Arabic, has become a crucial route for the delivery of oil to the international market after Tehran’s attacks and threats blocked energy exports from the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz.
The move made by the Houthi group represents “a dangerous escalation intended to transform one of the most strategic maritime corridors in the world into a permanent source of funding for the militia’s military and terrorist activities,” said Yemen’s Minister of Information, Moammar al-Eryani.
Eryani specified that this assessment is based on “confirmed information” recently obtained, indicating that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran (IRGC) is contributing to the coordination of this effort.
Details, HERE