US officials met Iran-backed Houthis in Oman over the weekend, sources say

HOUTHI FIGHTERS. Newly recruited Houthi fighters stand during a rally to commemorate the late leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, and to show support to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen, on October 4, 2024.

Khaled Abdullah/Reuters

A US State Department spokesperson says safeguarding freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and preventing the export of terrorism from the Middle East are core US interests

AT A GLANCE

• US officials held a private meeting with Yemen's Houthis in Oman following the militia's recent territorial gains along the Red Sea coast.
• During the meeting, the Houthis assured US officials of their commitment to the 2025 ceasefire and stated they would not target American or Israeli vessels.
• The Houthis have gained control over Yemen's entire Red Sea coastline, prompting Saudi Arabia to seek US military support, which Washington declined.

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US officials met representatives of Yemen’s Houthis in Oman over the weekend, five sources familiar with the matter said, days after the Iran-backed militia seized a strategic stretch of the Red Sea coast in a sweeping offensive that routed Saudi-backed forces.

The meeting, which has not been made public, was held at the US embassy in Muscat, three of the sources said on the condition of anonymity. Two sources said that Oman’s government, a longtime regional mediator, helped organize the meeting.

The Trump administration designated the Houthis a “foreign terrorist organization” in March 2025, criminalizing support for the group. But Washington has negotiated with them since, reaching a ceasefire in May last year after bombing the group for two months to halt a campaign of attacks on Red Sea shipping.

President Donald Trump said on Saturday, September 12, the Houthis had phoned his administration asking the United States to keep out of the Yemen war. Vice President JD Vance said on Monday the US was in direct contact with the group, without giving details.

In the meeting, which one source said took place on Sunday, September 13, the Houthis told US officials they had no intention of attacking American vessels and that they were committed to the 2025 ceasefire with the US, two sources said.

One of the sources, a Yemeni, said the militia group also said they would not attack Israeli ships or any commercial vessels, except those belonging to Saudi Arabia.

According to two of the sources, the US side was represented by embassy personnel.

One of those sources said the Houthi delegation included a senior official based in Muscat who is under US sanctions, Mohammad Abdulsalam. 

Another source confirmed Abdulsalam’s presence along with that of another senior Houthi official, Abdelmalik al-Ajiri.

Responding to questions, a State Department spokesperson said: “We have no comment on this specific reported meeting.”

The spokesperson also said safeguarding freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and preventing the export of terrorism from the Middle East were core US interests.

Oman’s embassy in the US and senior Houthi official Abdulsalam did not respond to requests for comment.

The Houthis last week seized effective control of Yemen’s entire Red Sea coastline, including the historic port of Mocha, and Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb, or “Gate of Tears” strait, at the sea’s mouth.

The Houthis, who seized Yemen’s capital in 2014, have fought against a Saudi-led coalition for more than a decade. The war had quieted under a ceasefire in recent years, but fighting resumed in July when the Houthis declared a blockade on Saudi shipping in the Red Sea in response to a Saudi blockade of Yemeni ports.

Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Trump last week seeking US military support amid the dramatic Houthi advances. Reuters has reported that Washington told Riyadh it would not get directly involved. – Rappler.com