Houthis have discussed implementing Red Sea tolls, says UK security firm
- Mechanisms have been discussed at senior leadership levels indicating Houthi ambition to control, and not merely disrupt, maritime traffic
- Conversations have been supported by Iranian involvement. But the militia is looking to act on its own terms
- Increasingly advanced weaponry of the group indicates that it will get harder for military intervention to combat further escalations in the region
- A multi-front approach could be on the cards as the Houthis look to exert control in the region
As freedom of navigation erodes across the Middle East, intelligence warnings point to Houthi plans to formalise control over Red Sea shipping, including potential tolls, echoing Iran’s recent precedent and threatening a region already rattled by fresh crises
