President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order on Jan. 22 designating Ansar Allah, sometimes known as Houthi rebels, as a foreign terrorist organization.
Trump's executive order instructs the State Department, which is currently overseen by former Senator Marco Rubio, to produce a report on the proposed designation within thirty days. It directs the department to act on the report within 15 days of it being issued.
Earlier in the day, the president spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about $600 billion in new trade and investments. Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have been fighting for a decade.
“It is the policy of the United States to cooperate with its regional partners to eliminate Ansar Allah’s capabilities and operations, deprive it of resources, and thereby end its attacks on U.S. personnel and civilians, U.S. partners, and maritime shipping in the Red Sea,” the order states.
Former President Joe Biden delisted the group as a terrorist organization in 2021. Shortly before Trump's departure from office, the first administration classified the Houthis as such.
The new step follows months of disagreement between the U.S. Navy and an Iranian-backed force that predominantly operates in Yemen. Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged the Houthis to stop their attacks in March 2024.
In November, two US warships in the Red Sea, the USS Stockdale and the USS Sprunce, intercepted missiles and drones intended against them. The Houthis claimed to have targeted another US vessel, the USS Abraham Lincoln. In late 2023, US soldiers stopped a similar strike from Houthi-controlled territories in Yemen.
The Houthis have linked their acts to sympathy with Palestinians against Israel in the midst of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Representatives from those sides signed a cease-fire deal in Doha, Qatar, which went into force only one day before Trump's January 20 inauguration.
Trump's latest executive order also orders the State Department and the United States. The Agency for International Development (USAID) will look into any links it may have with Houthi-controlled companies.
National security specialist Clare Lopez, founder and CEO of Lopez Liberty LLC, praised the action, claiming that the Houthis should have stayed on the international terrorism list.
“We can expect shipping in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab area to open back up again, easing international shipping in a significant way,” she said in a message to The Epoch Times, predicting further coordination against the Houthis by the U.S. and its allies and partners.
