Huge Revenues Push Houthis to Tighten Grip Over Yemeni Institutions

Hodeidah port on the Red Sea, west of Yemen (AFP)
Hodeidah port on the Red Sea, west of Yemen (AFP)
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Huge Revenues Push Houthis to Tighten Grip Over Yemeni Institutions

Hodeidah port on the Red Sea, west of Yemen (AFP)
Hodeidah port on the Red Sea, west of Yemen (AFP)

The huge revenues of several Yemeni institutions prompted the Houthi militia to implement new administrative and financial measures to control and manage the profit in their favor.

The new measures introduced e-accounting systems and complex administrative control procedures, dismissed the head of these institutions, and replaced them with group members.

Sources in Sanaa stated that the group assigned several affiliated companies, specialized in technology, to prepare new accounting systems for institutions, such as the Red Sea Ports Authority, the Oil Corporation, the Kamaran Company, the Public Telecommunication Corporation, the Economic Corporation, the Post, the Tax Authority, the Tax Authority Customs, and the capital's secretariat revenues.

The militia sought to establish a supervisory body to oversee all revenue institutions and monitor their activities, profits collection, and disbursement mechanism.

According to the sources, this procedure was established after the militia discovered it was difficult to launch alternative revenue institutions similar to other institutions it created.

The militias lack qualified technical cadres loyal to them to replace the personnel working in institutions such as the Red Sea Ports Authority, the tax and customs authorities, the Public Telecommunication Corporation, the oil companies, Kamaran, and others.

Houthis aimed to appoint their leaders at the top of these institutions to gain the support of technical staff and employ several of their members in various departments as informants to monitor the progress of accounting and administrative activities and procedures.

The militia began using the "Code of Ethics and Conduct," which it recently announced, and it includes rules for public servants, including accepting Houthis' right to rule and participating in their sectarian activities.

The sources stated that the militias have started implementing new accounting procedures in Hodeidah port after it achieved huge revenues during the past eight months, during the UN-sponsored truce, which Houthis refused to extend.

They said the militias noticed it was possible to obtain data and information about Hodeidah port revenues and several other institutions, given the nature of the administrative and accounting procedures of the institutions under Houthi control since Sept. 2014.

In October, the Yemeni government revealed that the militias had achieved more than YR203 billion after Hodeidah port received 54 shipments of oil and its derivatives during the humanitarian truce that began on Apr 2 and ended on Oct 2. One of its most important provisions was to allow the port to operate and permit fuel shipments fully.

Hodeidah port continues to receive fuel shipments despite the end of the armistice more than two months ago after Iran's arm stipulated that the salaries of employees in its areas of control are paid from oil and gas revenues in the liberated governorates only, and its refusal to include the Hodeidah revenues in the salary disbursement.



Iran's Foreign Ministry: Evacuation of Advisors from Syria Was a Responsible Decision

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei (Archive photo – MEHR)
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei (Archive photo – MEHR)
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Iran's Foreign Ministry: Evacuation of Advisors from Syria Was a Responsible Decision

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei (Archive photo – MEHR)
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei (Archive photo – MEHR)

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei stated that Iranian advisors were initially deployed to Syria to support the Syrian army in its fight against terrorism and to prevent insecurity from spreading to neighboring countries and the wider region.

He emphasized that the decision to withdraw these advisors was a responsible measure, reflecting the current security, military, and political conditions in Syria and the region.

Baghaei made these remarks in an interview with IRNA, following statements by the Russian president during his annual Direct Line press conference, where he addressed domestic and international issues, including the situations in Ukraine, Syria, and strained relations with the West.

The Russian president had stated: “When armed opposition groups entered Aleppo, there were 30,000 fighters. Previously, our Iranian friends sought our help in Syria. Now, they are seeking help to leave Syria.”

In response, Baghaei emphasized the history of collaboration between Iran and Russia in combating terrorism in Syria. He noted: “It is not unusual for stakeholders in Syria’s developments to present differing narratives about the causes of events and the roles of various actors. However, some recent claims regarding Iran’s advisory role in Syria before the fall of the Damascus regime are not based on accurate information.”

The spokesperson clarified that Iran’s involvement in Syria was based on an official invitation from the country’s legitimate government. Over the years, Iran and Syria worked together effectively to combat terrorism, successfully preventing ISIS from taking root in Syria and Iraq and curbing the spread of terrorism across the region, he remarked.

Baghaei explained that after ISIS was defeated, Iran’s military presence in Syria shifted to an advisory role, aimed at preventing the group’s resurgence, combating terrorism, and strengthening Syria’s military capabilities against Israeli aggression. “This approach has proven successful, as seen in the immediate aftermath of Iranian advisors’ withdrawal, when Israel occupied strategic areas and destroyed critical infrastructure in Syria,” he added.

When asked about the number of Iranians evacuated from Syria, Baghaei clarified that the evacuees included the families of Iranian diplomats, Iranian and non-Iranian pilgrims, and individuals who had traveled to assist Lebanese refugees in Syria. He stressed that all these individuals were flown back to Iran on Iranian planes via Hmeimim Airport, which was used in coordination with Russia as a secondary airport alongside Damascus Airport.

The spokesperson concluded by underlining the strategic significance of Iran-Russia relations across various sectors. He noted that dialogue between the two countries is ongoing at all levels. “We prefer to exchange views and expertise through official channels,” he stated.