The US administration of Donald J. Trump is engaging in vigorous peace-building initiatives, to the point where it’s even been rumored that Russia has agreed to intermediate nuclear deal talks with arch-foe Iran.
But at the same time, Trump is taking decisive action against one of the most dangerous Iranian proxy groups: the Yemeni Houthis.
The Iran-backed Houthis have now been officially designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the US State Department, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced today (4).
This fulfills one of President Donald Trump’s first promises upon taking office.
Read complete statement by Secretary Rubio.
Secretary Rubio also said the US ‘will not tolerate’ countries doing business with ‘terrorist organizations like the Houthis.’
Fox News reported:
“’Today’s action taken by the State Department demonstrates the Trump Administration’s commitment to protecting our national security interests, the safety of the American people, and the security of the United States’, Rubio said in the statement. ‘Terrorist designations play a critical role in our fight against terrorism and are an effective way to curtail support for terrorist activities’.
The Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on vessels in the Red Sea following the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza. The U.S. military has defended its warships patrolling the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, escorting and preventing attacks on commercial ships by the Houthis.”
Besides firing missiles and drones at ships, the Houthis also targeted a US fighter jet with surface-to-air missiles for the first time.
“Trump re-designated Yemen’s Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization in January, writing in an executive order that ‘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 Houthis were added to the foreign terrorist organization list during his first Trump term, but sleepy Joe Biden reversed the designation within one month of taking office in 2021.
At the highest levels of the US military, discussions are ongoing over how best to counter the Houthis’ activities.
Read more:
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