Won't attack US ships in Red Sea, Houthis tell Trump; warn Saudi's allies

A senior Houthi official said the group will not target US vessels in the Red Sea but warned countries against joining Saudi Arabia's renewed fight against Yemen. The message signals an effort to avoid a clash with Washington even as fighting between the Houthis and Riyadh intensifies.

In Short

• Oman facilitated indirect contacts after rebels advanced to Bab el-Mandeb Strait
• Group says navigation should remain open for Yemen and other countries
• Houthis threatened multi-front fighting if more states joined Riyadh's campaign

The Iran-backed Houthis have told the Donald Trump administration they will not target US vessels in the Red Sea, while warning other countries against joining Saudi Arabia in Yemen’s escalating conflict.

Mohamed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthis’ political bureau, told The Associated Press that Washington reached out to the group after its rapid advance along Yemen’s western coast to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait earlier this month. He said the Houthis assured US officials that their operations were not directed at the United States or other countries using the strategic waterway.

“We confirmed that we are not targeting the US, or any other nation, in the strait, with the sole exception of the Saudi enemy,” Al-Bukhaiti said in an interview from Sanaa.

His remarks came days after Trump revealed that his administration had held discussions with the Houthis. “The Houthis called us, and they don't want to fight with us,” Trump said last weekend, adding that the group preferred to avoid US involvement and was allowing most ships to pass through.

According to an AP report, Oman hosted talks between US and Houthi representatives last weekend. While al-Bukhaiti did not confirm direct negotiations, he acknowledged indirect contacts through Oman, which brokered a 2025 ceasefire between the Houthis and the Trump administration.

That agreement ended a week-long US bombing campaign in exchange for the rebels halting attacks on US vessels in the Red Sea.

HOUTHIS SAY WATERWAY WILL REMAIN OPEN

Al-Bukhaiti insisted the group was not seeking to shut the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial maritime chokepoint linking the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

“The goal of our military operations is not to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, but rather to ensure freedom of navigation through it for everyone, including Yemen,” he said.

At the same time, he warned that the Houthis were prepared to widen the conflict if additional countries joined Saudi Arabia’s campaign. “Today, Yemen is capable of waging battle -- not merely an internal conflict, but an international one as well,” he said.

The Houthi official said attacks on Saudi Arabia would continue until Riyadh lifted its decade-long blockade on rebel-held territories and allowed ships to access Houthi-controlled Red Sea ports. He said the group would then be prepared to negotiate.

HOUTHIS BLAME SAUDI ARABIA FOR LATEST ESCALATION

Al-Bukhaiti blamed Saudi Arabia for the renewed fighting, saying it followed an airstrike attributed to the Saudi-led coalition that hit Sanaa International Airport and prevented an Iranian aircraft carrying a Houthi delegation from landing. He said the flight was intended to challenge the coalition’s air and naval blockade.

The Houthis subsequently launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi targets, including a strike aimed at Riyadh on Saturday that was intercepted. Saudi authorities said debris from a Houthi drone killed one civilian and wounded others.

The rebels have also announced a blockade on Saudi shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea, and have targeted Saudi-linked vessels and oil infrastructure inside the kingdom.

FIGHTING HAS EFFECTIVELY ENDED 2022 CEASEFIRE

The latest escalation comes after Houthi forces captured the key port city of Mokha and several strategic islands in the Red Sea, strengthening their ability to monitor traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a route that normally carries around 12 per cent of global trade. Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces, which retreated during the advance, have said they intend to regroup.

The fighting has effectively ended a 2022 ceasefire that had largely frozen Yemen’s civil war.

The conflict began 12 years ago when the Houthis seized large parts of northern and central Yemen, including the capital Sanaa. Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened the following year in support of the internationally recognised government.

According to UN estimates, the war has killed at least 150,000 people and driven Yemen to the brink of famine.

Al-Bukhaiti argued that recent battlefield gains have shifted momentum in the Houthis’ favour. “Ultimately, (Saudi Arabia) lost its most critical card: the west coast,” he said.

While the Houthis signalled they want to avoid a confrontation with the US in the Red Sea, they made clear that their conflict with Saudi Arabia is set to continue despite growing diplomatic contacts with Washington.

- Ends
(With inputs from PTI and AP)