A Houthi-controlled Sanaa transport official told Iran’s Mehr news agency that
73 vessels transited the Bab al-Mandeb in the past 48 hours—36 on Sept. 10 and
37 on Sept. 11. He said Yemen’s ban targets only Saudi-linked ships and does not
affect other traffic, and that the two-day transit volume is broadly unchanged
from before the ban, disputing claims that passage is at risk. Earlier, Hazam
Asad, a member of Ansar Allah’s political office, said Houthi operations on
Yemen’s west coast is internal and do not concern international shipping.
