Yemeni govt says Trump’s designation of Houthis as terrorists marks ‘end’ of militia
US President Donald Trump’s decision to once again categorize the Houthis in Yemen as a terrorist organization marks “the beginning of their end,” according to the vice president of Yemen’s United Nations-recognized government.
It will also further curb Iran’s influence in the region, Yemeni Vice President Aidarous al-Zubaidi said in an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Trump signed the order on Wednesday. His move is designed to weaken the Tehran-backed group, which has been attacking Israel and ships in the Red Sea with drones and missiles, rattling global freight markets.
The decision will further boost the US’s “momentum in the region” at a time when Iran “has become toothless,” Zubaidi said.
He cited the degradation of Iran’s proxies — chiefly Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon — at the hands of Israel for
Tehran’s reduced influence. In addition, President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, another crucial ally, was toppled in December.
Still, Zubaidi expects the militant group to intensify its operations in response to the new terrorist designation.
The Houthis criticized Trump’s move and said it would hinder supplies of aid into Yemen, where the group controls the capital Sana’a, the key port of Hodeida and many other western areas.
The Houthis have engaged in missile and drone attacks on cargo ships and other vessels sailing in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden for more than a year. The campaign started after the Hamas assault on Israel in October 2023 triggered the war in Gaza.
Since a ceasefire in that conflict started on Sunday, the Houthis have suggested they could stop attacking US- and UK-linked vessels. Most major Western shipping firms say they’ll need more reassurance before they’re ready to sail through the region again.
Zubaidi described the Houthis as Iran’s last military arm in the region, saying international powers ought to coordinate their efforts to ensure their demise. In addition to a military campaign — the US, UK and Israel have been striking Houthi targets regularly — the group must be politically and financially pressured, he said.
The Houthis’ terrorist designation was first applied at the end of Trump’s first term. Former President Joe Biden revoked it in 2021, citing the risk of famine in Yemen, a country that has been in civil war since 2014.
In January last year, Biden relisted the Houthis as a “specially designated global terrorist” group as opposed to the stricter “foreign terrorist organization” classification in order to leave some room for its leaders to engage in UN-sponsored peace talks.
That move was accompanied by the start of US airstrikes against the Houthis in retaliation for their maritime assaults.
