A minister in Yemen's legitimate government told AFP on Wednesday that Houthi militants were working with Iran to charge ships to transit the Red Sea, threatening another waterway after Tehran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Information minister Moammar al-Eryani told AFP 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 militia's military and terrorist 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 in comments exclusive to AFP.
He said this would include "the establishment of a dedicated entity responsible for collecting payments from shipping companies and commercial vessels".
The fate of the Strait of Hormuz continues to be a sticking point between the United States and Iran.
Tehran insists on its right to collect tolls for ships to use the waterway, which previously carried one-fifth of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas.
Anxieties are growing across the Gulf that the Houthis are hoping to copy Iran's playbook in Hormuz by monetizing access to the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the mouth of the Red Sea -- a move likely to send world energy markets into further disarray.
Houthi attacks on Israel-linked vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden caused cargo volumes to plunge during the Gaza war, with ships forced into a lengthy detour around southern Africa.
