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Trump Orders Process to Designate the Houthis as Foreign Terrorist Organization Amid Red Sea Shipping Crisis

Protesters hold up rifles during a rally organized by the Houthis in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Sanaa, Yemen March 22, 2024. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

Trump Orders Process to Designate the Houthis as Foreign Terrorist Organization Amid Red Sea Shipping Crisis

Mike Schuler
Total Views: 945
January 23, 2025

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order initiating the process to designate Yemen’s Ansar Allah, aka the Houthis, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The move comes in response to escalating attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea region over the past 15 months.

The Houthi rebels, backed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, have launched over 100 attacks on vessels transiting the critical Bab al-Mandeb strait, resulting in at least four civilian maritime casualties and two ships sunk. These attacks have forced commercial vessels to reroute, contributing to global inflation pressures.

“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,” states the executive order.

The designation process requires the Secretary of State to submit a report within 30 days, following consultation with intelligence and treasury officials.

The Biden Administration removed the Houthis’ terrorist designations in February 2021 citing humanitarian concerns in Yemen, but later re-designated them as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) following attacks on U.S. forces and shipping in the Red Sea.

Under the executive order, USAID will review its partnerships in Yemen, particularly focusing on organizations that may have made payments to Houthi-controlled entities or those that have downplayed the group’s actions.

Over the past year, the maritime industry has witnessed unprecedented challenges in the Red Sea, with dozens of attacks on U.S. Navy warships and over 300 projectiles fired toward Israel since October 2023 in solidarity with Palestinians in the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.

The executive order from Trump comes as the Israel and Hamas have implemented the first phase of a ceasefire, leading to this week’s release of the 25 crew members from the Galaxy Leader, a car carrier which was hijacked by the Houthis in November 2023.

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