US formally rebrands Yemen's Houthis as foreign terrorist organization
Critics say the Houthis' blacklisting will hamper aid delivery in the war-torn country.
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has redesignated Yemen’s Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization in keeping with an executive order signed by President Donald Trump days after taking office.
Citing the Iran-backed group’s attacks on US warships and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and nearby waters, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Tuesday that the Houthis have been formally relisted as an FTO. The designation makes it a federal crime to knowingly provide financial or material support to the group, which controls the capital Sanaa and much of Yemen’s north.
“Terrorist designations play a critical role in our fight against terrorism and are an effective way to curtail support for terrorist activities,” Rubio said in a statement.
In February 2021 the Biden administration revoked the FTO label applied near the end of Trump’s first term, pointing to the obstacles the Houthis’ blacklisting had created for humanitarian aid delivery in the Arab world’s poorest country. Despite waivers put in place for humanitarian activity, aid agencies had warned the terror designation would deter sanctions-averse banks and foreign companies from continuing to do business in Yemen.
