▲ Iran-backed Houthi rebels
Shortly after Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized strategic chokepoints along the Red Sea coast, U.S. government officials held a secret meeting with Houthi representatives in Oman, Reuters reported on the 15th (local time).
According to multiple sources, the Houthi delegation conveyed to U.S. officials during the meeting at the U.S. Embassy in the Omani capital of Muscat over the weekend that they have "no intention of attacking U.S. vessels and will abide by the ceasefire agreement reached with the U.S. in 2025."
They reportedly also stated that, aside from vessels belonging to Saudi Arabia, they would not target Israeli ships or other commercial vessels.
The meeting, brokered by the Omani government, was attended by U.S. embassy staff on the American side, while high-ranking Houthi figures currently staying in Muscat, including U.S.-sanctioned Mohammed Abdul Salam and Abdel-Malek al-Ajiri, participated for the Houthis.
The U.S. State Department avoided officially confirming the reports regarding the Oman meeting, offering only a principled stance that "guaranteeing freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and preventing the export of terrorism in the Middle East are core U.S. interests."
The Omani embassy and the Houthis also remained silent.
This secret meeting took place as the Houthi rebels recently ousted Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces and gained momentum by taking full control of the Red Sea coastline, including the strategic port city of Moka and Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, reportedly telephoned U.S. President Donald Trump to urgently request military support.
However, the U.S. is known to have conveyed to the Saudi side that it would not directly intervene.
Previously, the Trump administration designated the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in March of last year, but continued behind-the-scenes negotiations to protect Red Sea commercial ships and reached a ceasefire agreement in May of that same year.
President Trump and Vice President JD Vance have also publicly acknowledged receiving communications from the Houthis or being in direct contact with them recently.
Having seized the Yemeni capital of SANA in 2014, the Houthi rebels have been at war with the Saudi-led coalition for over a decade.
Although hostilities had subsided for several years following a 2022 truce, armed clashes have flared up again after an airstrike on the airport in SANA last July prompted the Houthis to declare an end to the ceasefire and announce a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia in response to Saudi blockades of Yemeni ports.
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.