![The US re-designates Yemen’s Houthi movement as a terrorist organisation, citing threats to regional security and trade. [Image via Reuters]](https://southasiatimes.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/2024-02-04T080842Z_1636458874_RC2KV5ALOEK1_RTRMADP_3_ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-YEMEN-HOUTHIS-1709033488.webp)
The US has designated Yemen’s Houthi movement, known formally as Ansar Allah, as a “foreign terrorist” organisation, the US Department of State has said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the department had restored the designation, which carries with it sanctions and penalties for anyone providing “material support” for the group.
The US has reiterated its commitment to countering Yemen’s armed groups, emphasizing that the re-designation aligns with broader efforts to curb terrorist organisation activities in the region.
“The Houthis’ activities threaten the security of American civilians and personnel in the Middle East, the safety of our closest regional partners, and the stability of global maritime trade,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
“The United States will not tolerate any country engaging with terrorist organisations like the Houthis in the name of practising legitimate international business,” he added.
US President Donald Trump had set the process in motion in January, the White House said at the time.
Trump had also listed the Yemeni group as a “foreign terrorist” organisation and “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” (SDGT) entity during the final days of his first term.
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Former US President Joe Biden’s administration, however, reversed Trump’s designations weeks after coming into office, with former Secretary of State Antony Blinken citing “recognition of the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen”.
The White House said in its statement in January that Biden’s “weak policy” had resulted in the Houthis firing on US Navy warships dozens of times, targeting commercial vessels more than 100 times and attacking civilian infrastructure in partner nations.
“Under President Trump, it is now the policy of the United States to cooperate with its regional partners to eliminate the Houthis’ capabilities and operations, deprive them of resources, and thereby end their attacks on US personnel and civilians, US partners, and maritime shipping in the Red Sea,” the White House said.
