The Houthi rebels failed from the beginning to adhere to Stockholm Agreement, signed on December 2018, and the inspection regime the UN initiated was the type of solution that prioritized symbolism over effectiveness, where ships could go to Djibouti to be inspected before proceeding to the Port of Hudaydah,, then the UN could certify that its inspectors found only humanitarian goods on each ship, according to an article published by The American Enterprise Institute (AEI).
The article added that the Port of Hudaydah has long been a lifeline for the Houthis who also receive Iranian weaponry via smuggling routes through Oman, while the most sophisticated Iranian weaponry enters through Hudaydah.
The article added that the loophole was massive, though: If ships chose not to report to inspectors, they could still go directly to Hudaydah and offload their supplies—often weaponry and other contraband—to Houthi dockworkers who would quickly transport it away.
The writer found that The Stockholm Agreement did have one other function. It provided an excuse to avoid military action, adding that if the world could claim the agreement resolved the problem of weapons smuggling through Hudaydah and resolved humanitarian shortfalls, then they could avoid a looming battle.
The writer concluded that rather than bring peace, the sleight of hand over Hudaydah has empowered the Houthis and compounded the threat they pose to shipping, adding the United States and its partners must blockade Hudaydah, and only allow ships to