- Houthis assured US they won’t target vessels in Red Sea.
- Houthis warned other nations against joining Saudi campaign.
- Attacks continue until Saudi Arabia lifts its blockade.
- Escalation followed Saudi airstrike on Sanaa International Airport.
The Iran-backed Houthis have told the Donald Trump administration that 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 towards 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 United States, or any other nation, in the strait, with the sole exception of the Saudi enemy,” al-Bukhaiti said in an interview from Sanaa.
Trump had revealed days earlier 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 wanted to avoid US involvement and was allowing most ships to pass through.
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Houthis Say Bab el-Mandeb Will Remain Open
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 ceasefire between the Houthis and the Trump administration in 2025.
That agreement ended a week-long US bombing campaign after the rebels agreed to halt attacks on US vessels in the Red Sea. Al-Bukhaiti also insisted that the Houthis were not seeking to shut the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial maritime chokepoint connecting 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, al-Bukhaiti 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.
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Houthis Demand End To Saudi Blockade
Al-Bukhaiti 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.
The Houthi official blamed Saudi Arabia for the latest escalation, saying the renewed fighting followed an airstrike attributed to the Saudi-led coalition that struck 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. They have targeted Saudi-linked vessels and oil infrastructure inside the kingdom.
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