RIYADH: A minister in Yemen's internationally recognised government said on Wednesday that the Ansar Allah group was working with Iran to charge ships to transit the Red Sea, threatening another waterway after Tehran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The Red Sea's narrow maritime artery has been a critical route for delivering Saudi crude to the international market after Iranian attacks and threats choked off Gulf energy exports via Hormuz.
Information Minister Moammar al Eryani said that the move was "a dangerous escalation aimed at transforming one of the world's most strategic maritime corridors into a permanent source of funding for the military activities". Eryani said the assessment was provided by recently obtained "confirmed intelligence" indicating that Iran's Revolutionary Guards were helping manage the effort.
"The intelligence indicates that IRGC experts and advisers are directly involved in designing the technical and administrative framework of the project," Eryani added. He said this would include "the establishment of a dedicated entity responsible for collecting payments from shipping companies and commercial vessels". The fate of Hormuz continues to be a sticking point between the United States and Iran.
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