US Officially Redesignates The Houthis As A “Foreign Terror Organization”

WEDNESDAY March 5, 2025 |TheNewsDESK
www.thenewsdesk.ng

The United States has formally redesignated the Yemeni Houthi movement as a “foreign terrorist organization,” according to a statement by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, i24News reports.

This announcement is in line with the promise made by President Donald Trump three days after he took office last month. The measure imposes more severe economic sanctions than those applied by Joe Biden’s administration to the Iran-aligned group, officially known as Ansar Allah.

This decision follows the Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and on American warships defending this crucial maritime passage point.

At the beginning of his presidential term in 2021, Biden had removed the terrorist designation applied by Trump during his first term, with the aim of addressing humanitarian concerns in Yemen. Faced with attacks in the Red Sea, Biden had last year designated the group as a “specially designated global terrorist organization”.

However, his administration had avoided applying the more severe designation of foreign terrorist organization.

This reclassification marks a significant hardening of the American position towards the Houthis and could have significant implications for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemen, a country already devastated by years of civil war and an acute humanitarian crisis.