Reuters: Houthi pledges to Washington not to attack US and Israeli ships
“Al-Arabiya.net” – Five informed sources confirmed that U.S. officials met with Houthi representatives at the U.S. Embassy in Muscat, while one of them revealed that the rebel group pledged not to attack U.S. or Israeli vessels.
Two sources also reported that the Omani government, which has long played a mediating role in the region, helped arrange the meeting, according to Reuters.
During the meeting, which one source said took place on Sunday, the Houthis informed U.S. officials that they do not intend to attack U.S. ships and that they are committed to the ceasefire agreement reached with Washington in 2025.
In Washington, a State Department spokesperson did not confirm the meeting but stated that protecting freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and preventing the export of terrorism from the Middle East are two core U.S. interests.
This comes after U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that the Houthis had contacted his administration.
Vice President J.D. Vance also stated on Monday that his country is in direct contact with the Houthis, without providing further details.
For his part, Republican Senator Joe Wilson wrote on the “X” platform that the Iran-backed Houthi group is attacking holy sites, expressing his country’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia’s measures, while also emphasizing the importance of the “Mecca Agreement” in deterring the sources of Houthi militia aggression.
The file on Houthi escalation in Yemen moved to a broader international level during an emergency session of the UN Security Council on Tuesday night, after the Yemeni government warned that recent developments on the western coast and at Bab el-Mandeb are no longer an internal matter, but have become a threat to regional security, freedom of navigation, energy supplies, and global trade.
U.S., British, French, Danish, and Greek positions aligned with this view, focusing on the danger of Houthi attacks targeting navigation, infrastructure, and civilians, while holding Iran responsible for supporting the group.
