US To Remove Yemeni Houthis From Terrorist List

Photo illustration (Source: Antara (

JAKARTA - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that he would remove the designation of the Yemeni Houthi movement from the list of foreign terrorist organizations and global terrorist groups. The revocation will be effective as of February 16.

The decision, which overturned the former Trump administration's Houthi blacklist, is part of a policy shift by US President Joe Biden aimed at defusing the world's worst humanitarian crisis and intensifying diplomacy to end Yemen's grueling civil war.

"This decision is in recognition of the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen", Blinken said in a statement.

The war pits the Iranian-aligned Houthi movement against Yemen's internationally recognized government backed by a Saudi-led military coalition.

The Biden government, other governments, the United Nations, and aid organizations alike fear that the sanctions imposed on the Houthis could hinder food deliveries at a time of heightened threat of major famine.

Blinken, however, appears to show the limits of US tolerance for the Houthi movement. He said three of its leaders - Abdul Malik al-Houthi, Abd al-Khaliq Badr al-Houthi, and Abdullah Yahya al-Hakim - would remain subject to US sanctions.

He also said Washington would continue to "closely monitor" the activity of the movement and its leaders and "actively identify" new sanctions targets, particularly those responsible for attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and missile attacks in Saudi Arabia.

"The United States remains clear about Ansarallah's evil actions", Blinken said, using a term also known as the Houthi movement. "Ansarallah's actions and stubbornness prolong this conflict and inflict serious humanitarian harm".