MUSCAT — United States officials met representatives of Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Oman over the weekend, according to five sources familiar with the talks, as Washington seeks to contain renewed instability around the Red Sea.
Reuters reported that the previously undisclosed meeting took place at the US Embassy in Muscat, with Oman helping to organise the discussions. The talks followed a major Houthi offensive that gave the group effective control of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline, including the port of Mocha and Perim Island near the Bab el-Mandeb strait.
Two sources said Houthi representatives told US officials that the group did not intend to attack American vessels and remained committed to its 2025 ceasefire with Washington. One source said the Houthis also indicated they would not target Israeli or other commercial vessels, except Saudi ships.
Senior Houthi officials Mohammad Abdulsalam and Abdelmalik al-Ajri were reported to have attended, while the American side was represented by embassy personnel.
The US State Department did not confirm the meeting, but said freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and preventing the spread of terrorism from the Middle East remained core American interests.
The Houthis have fought a Saudi-led coalition for more than a decade. Fighting intensified again in July after the group declared a blockade on Saudi shipping in response to restrictions on Yemeni ports. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman recently sought US military support following Houthi advances, but Washington has said it does not plan to become directly involved.
Source: Reuters
