The Iran-backed Houthi insurgents of Iran are reportedly considering a plan to extort “fees” for safe passage of international shipping vessels in the Red Sea, modeled on Iran’s plans to collect ransoms for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran supposedly instructed the Houthis that Chinese ships should be exempt from “fees” for passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Last week, the Houthis declared a “maritime ban” on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. At least four tankers carrying Saudi crude for China are known to have passed through the Red Sea unmolested since the blockade was declared. Saudi Arabia shifted a great deal of its oil exports to the Red Sea route after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz earlier this year.