Houthis deny Bab al-Mandeb toll plan

Yemen's Houthis denied Saturday that they were seeking to charge ships for passage through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, after a minister in Yemen's internationally recognised government accused them of doing so.

The Houthi-aligned Saba news agency published a statement from the group's HOCC agency saying reports about tolls were inaccurate. The agency said transit through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait was free of charge.

Yemen's information minister Moammar al-Eryani had accused the Houthis on Wednesday of trying to imitate Iran's efforts to impose tolls on the Strait of Hormuz, on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula.

The Bab al-Mandeb connects the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean and, through the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean. The waterway has gained increased importance as a route for Saudi oil after Iran's closure of Hormuz.

Last month, the Houthis declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, the world's largest crude exporter. The group has since claimed several attacks on oil tankers and infrastructure.