President Donald Trump has signed an Executive Order to redesignate Iran’s Yemeni proxy, the Houthis, as a Foreign Terror Organization.
The Houthis have fired dozens of hypersonic ballistic missiles and long-range explosive drones at the State of Israel since the October 7, 2023 existential war launched against Israel by Gaza’s Hamas terrorist organization, a fellow Iranian proxy.
Within one month of taking office in 2021, the Biden Administration reversed the Trump-era designation of the Houthis as an FTO.
The Houthis, (official name: Ansar Allah) have been firing at commercial and military vessels transiting the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb Strait and Gulf of Aden since shortly after the start of the current war.
The Houthis were designated as an FTO during Trump’s first term in office.
“As a result of the Biden administration’s weak policy, the Houthis have fired at US Navy warships dozens of times, launched numerous attacks on civilian infrastructure in partner nations, and attacked commercial vessels transiting Bab al-Mandeb more than 100 times,” the White House said.
The Executive order signed by Trump directs Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in consultation with others, to recommend the re-designation of the Houthis within the next 30 days.
“It is now the police of the United States to cooperate with its regional partners to eliminate the Houthis’ capabilities and operations, deprive them of resources, and thereby end their attacks on U.S. personnel and civilians, U.S. partners, and maritime shipping in the Red Sea,” the White House said.
The Executive Order also directs Rubio and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to jointly review United Nations partners, nongovernmental organizations, and contractors operating in Yemen.
“Following this review, the President will direct USAID to end its relationship with entities that have made payments to the Houthis, or which have opposed international efforts to counter the Houthis while turning a blind eye towards the Houthis’ terrorism and abuses,” the White House said.
