Houthis to Allow Red Sea Passage For Chinese, Russian Vessels

The Yemen-based Houthi rebels have assured China and Russia their ships can sail through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden without being attacked, sources told Bloomberg.

• China and Russia reached an understanding following talks between their diplomats in Oman and Mohammed Abdel Salam, one of the Houthis’ top political figures, the sources said.
• In exchange, Russia and China may provide political support to the Houthis in bodies such as the UN Security Council, the people said. However, this has not been officially verified yet.
• This could mean that Russia will resume to ship LNG via the Suez Canal instead of diverting cargoes to Asia via the Cape of Good Hope. No Russian LNG tankers have sailed via the Suez Canal since mid-January, ship tracking data showed.
• The group’s goal is to “sinking America, Britain and the West in the swamp of the Red Sea,” Ali Alqhoom, a senior Houthi political leader, said on X previously.
• Last week, Abdul Malik Al-Houthi, vowed to expand the campaign to the Indian Ocean and hit vessels traveling around South Africa.