Houthis Seize Strategic Red Sea Position, Hold Secret Meeting with U.S....“We Won’t Attack Anyone Except Saudi Arabia”

[Financial News] Ansar Allah (Houthis), a pro-Iranian armed group in Yemen that has effectively seized strategic positions along the Red Sea coast, reportedly held a secret meeting with United States officials recently and promised to guarantee the safety of ordinary commercial vessels, including those from the United States and Israel, while excluding Saudi Arabia.
According to reports from foreign media outlets, including The Times of Israel (TOI), on the 16th (local time), sources familiar with the matter said that a Houthi delegation held a closed-door meeting with United States government officials at the United States Embassy in Muscat over the weekend. The meeting was arranged by the government of Oman, which has long served as a mediator in the Middle East.

The meeting reportedly included officials from the United States Embassy in Oman, as well as senior Houthi figures, including Mohammed Abdul-Salam, a United States-sanctioned individual who was staying in Muscat.
According to sources, the Houthi side told the meeting, “We have no intention of attacking United States vessels, and we will strictly comply with the ceasefire agreement reached with the United States in May last year.” The Houthis reportedly added that, apart from Saudi-owned vessels, they would not attack Israeli-flagged ships or ordinary commercial vessels.
The secret meeting took place shortly after the Houthis pushed back Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces and seized key positions along the Red Sea coast. The group has rapidly expanded its control of the Red Sea coastline by taking the historic port city of Mocha, Perim Island in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait at the entrance to the Red Sea, and the southern Hanish Islands.

Saudi Arabia was put on high alert as the Houthis, taking advantage of tensions between the United States and Iran, tightened their grip on the Red Sea’s entrance and escalated the maritime blockade and armed confrontation against Saudi Arabia. Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (MbS), the Saudi crown prince, reportedly called United States President Donald Trump to urgently request military assistance to defeat the Houthis, but the United States rejected the request while drawing a line against direct intervention.
The Trump administration designated the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) last year but continued behind-the-scenes talks to protect shipping in the Red Sea. President Donald Trump recently said, “The Houthis called and said they don’t want to fight the United States,” adding, “There is only one country they don’t like—Saudi Arabia.” Vice President JD Vance also acknowledged that the United States had been in direct contact with the Houthis.
Meanwhile, the United States Department of State (State Department) avoided directly confirming the meeting in Oman and offered only the general position that “protecting freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and preventing the spread of terrorism in the Middle East are core national interests of the United States.” 

[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter