U.S. government officials recently held a secret meeting with Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, who have taken control of a strategic area along the Red Sea coast, in Oman.
According to multiple sources reported by Reuters on September 15, a Houthi delegation met with U.S. officials at the American embassy in Muscat over the weekend.
During the meeting, the Houthi representatives stated that they have no intention of attacking U.S. vessels and will adhere to a ceasefire agreement made with the U.S. in 2025. They also indicated that they would not target Israeli ships or other commercial vessels, except for those belonging to Saudi Arabia.
The meeting, arranged by the Omani government, included U.S. embassy staff and senior Houthi figures, such as Mohammed Abdul Salam and Abdelmalik al-Ajiri, who are under U.S. sanctions and are currently in Muscat.
The U.S. State Department did not confirm the meeting but emphasized that ensuring freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and preventing the spread of terrorism in the Middle East are core U.S. interests. The Omani government and the Houthi side also did not provide separate comments.
This meeting comes as the Houthis have recently ousted the Yemeni government forces backed by Saudi Arabia, seizing strategic locations along the Red Sea, including the port city of Mocha and Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly called President Donald Trump to urgently request military support. However, the U.S. has conveyed to Saudi Arabia that it will not directly intervene militarily.
The Trump administration designated the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in March of last year but continued behind-the-scenes negotiations to protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea, ultimately securing a ceasefire agreement in May.
Recently, both President Trump and Vice President JD Vance publicly acknowledged receiving contact from or engaging with the Houthi side.
The Houthis have been in conflict with a Saudi-led coalition for over a decade since seizing the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, in 2014. Although hostilities decreased after a ceasefire in 2022, fighting has intensified again following the Houthis' declaration to end the ceasefire after airstrikes on Sana'a airport in July.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.