U.S. Officials Meet Houthi Representatives In Oman Days After The Group Seizes Part Of Yemen’s Red Sea Coast

Personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Oman met Houthi Representatives in Muscat, a few days after the group captured a stretch of Yemen’s coast on the Red Sea.

The talks organised with the mediation of Oman were attended by Houthi officials Mohammad Abdulsalam and Abdelmalik al-Ajiri, the former of whom has been placed under sanctions by the US.

In the meeting, Washington discussed Houthi attacks in the Red Sea targeting ships, to which the representatives said that the Group does not wish to attack American or Israeli vessels, making it clear that this is between them and Saudi Arabia.

Houthis intend to prevent Saudi Arabia from exporting its oil and hurt its revenues, most of which come from energy trade. The Group also assured that it wants to uphold the deal signed with the US in 2025.

Washington discussed freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and ending terrorism in the waters of East Asia.

U.S. President Donald Trump said that the Houthis asked the U.S. to stay out of their conflict with Saudi Arabia, with Vice President Vance stating the government was in contact with the Saudi government and also the Houthis.

The US government had categorised the Houthis as a terrorist group last year and then sat at the negotiating table with them to end the attacks on ships in the Red Sea.

The latest round of talks came after Houthis gained control of a significant portion of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, the Port of Mocha and the Perim Island close to the maritime chokepoint of the Bab el-Mandeb.

Houthi Spokesperson Yahya Saree said that the Group targeted an airbase in Khamis Mushait and also an oil facility operated by Saudi’s state-owned oil company Aramco in Yanbu, though Riyadh did not comment on the claims.

Houthis have been in conflict with the internationally recognised Yemeni government, which was installed with the backing of Saudi Arabia.

A ceasefire had stopped the fighting; however, after Saudi Arabia blockaded Yemeni Ports, Houthis also decided to impose a blockade of Saudi shipping in the Red Sea.

Since then, Houthis have attacked Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure, including refineries, ports and oil pipelines to prevent it from exporting oil. Riyadh has resorted to ship-to-ship transfers and moving oil through Hormuz with the help of US naval escorts to ship out its oil to Asian markets.

U.S. has also informed Saudi Arabia that it could not get involved in its conflict with the Houthis, given its ongoing war with Iran.