Senior Yemen official visits US Central Command to discuss countering Iran-backed Houthis

Yemen’s information minister recently visited the US Central Command (CENTCOM) headquarters in Tampa, Florida, to discuss countering Iran-backed Houthis, according to the US military.

“Regional and international interests will remain threatened as long as the Houthi militia possesses military capabilities,” Moammar bin Mutahar Al-Eryani said.

CENTCOM said the visit was part of an effort to combat the Houthi’s “systematic use of disinformation and propaganda to destabilize Yemen and the broader region.”

The Trump administration redesignated Yemen’s Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), reversing the Biden administration’s decision to revoke the designation. Trump originally made the decision in his final days of office during his first term.

The Executive Order signed by Trump said that US policy was now “to cooperate with its regional partners to eliminate Houthi capabilities and operations, deprive it of resources, and thereby end its attacks on US personnel and civilians, US partners, and maritime shipping in the Red Sea.”