Yemen is worried that Houthi rebels are trying to emulate Iran’s attempts to control the Strait of Hormuz, a senior official said, after the group announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, AFP reports.

The “Houthis want to copy the Iran experience in Hormuz,” foreign minister designate Afrah al-Zouba told reporters during a briefing saying the rebels were “in harmony” with Iranian escalation in the region.