Houthis assure US its ships are safe in Red Sea, warn nations against joining the Saudi fight

Yemen’s Houthis have assured the Donald Trump administration that they do not intend to target American vessels in the Red Sea, even as the Iran-backed group warned other countries against joining Saudi Arabia in the renewed fighting in Yemen.

Mohamed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthis’ political bureau, said Washington contacted the group after its forces advanced along Yemen’s western coast and gained control of strategically important territory around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait earlier this month.

Al-Bukhaiti said the Houthis had communicated that they were not targeting the United States or other countries in the strategic waterway, with Saudi Arabia being the exception as the group’s confrontation with Riyadh intensifies.

US-Houthi contacts

The latest comments follow contacts between US and Houthi representatives in Oman. US officials met Houthi representatives in Muscat last weekend, with Oman facilitating the discussions.

Al-Bukhaiti acknowledged indirect contacts with Washington through Oman but did not confirm direct negotiations.

Oman had also mediated a ceasefire between Washington and the Houthis in 2025. Under that understanding, the United States halted its bombing campaign against Houthi targets in return for the group ending attacks on American vessels in the Red Sea.

Trump recently confirmed that his administration had held discussions with the Houthis, saying the group did not want a confrontation with Washington.

The latest assurances indicate that the Houthis are seeking to keep the United States out of the renewed Yemen conflict while continuing their military campaign against Saudi Arabia.

Warning to other nations

Al-Bukhaiti warned that the Houthis were capable of fighting on multiple fronts if other countries became involved alongside Saudi Arabia.

The warning comes as Riyadh seeks support from partners amid renewed Houthi missile and drone attacks. Saudi Arabia has reportedly approached several countries for assistance, particularly with air defence, as the conflict intensifies.

The Houthi official maintained that the group’s objective was not to shut the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.

Instead, he said the group intended to allow freedom of navigation while maintaining pressure on Saudi-linked shipping.

Saudi attacks to continue

Al-Bukhaiti said attacks against Saudi Arabia would continue until Riyadh ended what the Houthis describe as a decade-long blockade of areas under their control and allowed ships unrestricted access to Houthi-held Red Sea ports.

He said the group would be prepared for negotiations once those conditions were met.

The Houthis have blamed Saudi Arabia for the latest escalation, alleging that a Saudi-led coalition airstrike targeted Sanaa International Airport and prevented an Iranian aircraft carrying a Houthi delegation from landing.

Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have since exchanged attacks, reopening a front that had been relatively quiet following years of fighting in Yemen.

Riyadh targeted

The latest warning followed a Houthi attempt to strike Riyadh with a ballistic missile and drone on Saturday. The Saudi-led coalition said the missile was intercepted, while residents reported hearing an explosion in the capital.

Saudi authorities also said Houthi attacks targeted civilian infrastructure in Yanbu, Taif, Baysh and Farasan but were thwarted.

In another attack, Saudi officials said debris from a Houthi drone killed one civilian and injured others.

The Houthis’ advance along Yemen’s Red Sea coast has also increased their ability to monitor maritime traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb, through which a significant share of global trade normally passes.

Despite the Houthis’ latest assurances to Washington, US maritime authorities continue to advise American-flagged commercial vessels operating in the Red Sea and surrounding waters to exercise heightened caution because of the continuing security threat.