Trump redesignates Yemen’s Houthis as terror organization: White House
US President Donald Trump designated Yemen’s Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), the White House said in a statement on Wednesday, marking the second time after the Biden administration reversed the decision made in Trump’s first term.
The Houthis began attacking US military and commercial vessels in the Red Sea, as well as ships they claimed were linked to Israel, following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. The Israeli military’s response to the attack devastated much of Gaza. The Iran-backed Houthis said their actions were a show of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
A recommendation to redesignate the Houthis as an FTO reached former President Joe Biden’s desk during his final month in office. However, Biden opted to leave the decision to the incoming administration.
The Washington Free Beacon, which first reported the decision to relist the Houthis as an FTO, said the order to be signed by Trump would condemn Iran for backing the Houthis. The report also cited the order as stipulating US policy to “eliminate Houthi capabilities and operations.”
In one of his first foreign policy actions, Biden lifted the terror designation applied to the Houthis in the final days of the Trump administration, while also targeting traditional Gulf allies of the US. Last year, Biden ordered the Houthis to be relisted as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity but refrained from redesignating them as an FTO. The Biden administration had argued that such designations could hinder the delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemen, which is experiencing one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.
In response to the Houthi threat, the US established a maritime coalition last January aimed at deterring the group and safeguarding international shipping lanes in the region.
In recent days, the Houthis indicated they would cease their attacks against Israel as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal.
Houthi attacks have cost the US billions of dollars, primarily for the deployment of aircraft carrier strike groups and the expenditure of missiles and other ammunition to defend against these assaults. It is estimated that operating a carrier strike group costs under $9 million daily. The US has maintained at least one carrier strike group in the region. A study published by Brown University in September 2024 estimated the total cost of these operations to exceed $4.86 billion.
