The White House has recently announced that US President Donald Trump redesignated Yemen’s Houthi movement as a “foreign terrorist organisation.” According to experts, the move will cause more brutal economic damages than Joe Biden’s government had imposed on the Iran-aligned group. The group is involved in attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and against US warships protecting the vital maritime chokepoint.
At the beginning of his presidential tenure in 2021, Biden suspended the terrorist designation that was imposed by Trump during his first period, seeking to address humanitarian crises inside Yemen. Faced with the Red Sea episodes, Biden last year designated the outfit as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” association. But his government held off on imposing the severe foreign terrorist association designation.
A White House statement also mentioned “multiple seizures on civilian infrastructure in partner nations,” likely a connection to Houthi drone and missile attacks targeting Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Supporters of the move express it is overdue. However, some experts state it could have consequences for anyone witnessed helping the Houthis, including some aid organisations.
Organizations have cautioned that previous designations resulted in drastic declines in imports of necessary goods, further exacerbating the suffering of civilians. The group noted that while the Houthis have committed serious violations, designating them as terrorists does not necessarily alter their behavior and may further complicate humanitarian efforts.
“The Houthis’ activities threaten the security of American civilians and personnel in the Middle East, the safety of our closest regional partners, and the stability of global maritime trade,” the White House stated.
The executive order inscribed requires the State Department to devise a report within 30 days suggesting that the foreign terrorist organization designation be reapplied to the Houthis after ex-president Biden abandoned it.
Within 15 days of acquiring that report, new Secretary of State Marco Rubio is hoping to sign off on the proposal to reimpose that designation on the Houthis, the executive order stated. Once the tag has been reapplied, the executive order specifies that the US Agency for International Development and the State Department cut relations with all organizations in Yemen that have made capital to the Houthis
“or which have resisted international efforts to counter the Houthis while turning a blind eye towards the Houthis’ terrorism and abuses,”
the White House stated.