WorldPosted at: Sep 16 2026 11:31PM


US officials met Houthi representatives in Oman, Iran-backed militia promised not to attack American or Israeli ships: Report

Muscat, Sep 16 (UNI) US officials met representatives of Yemen's Houthis in Oman over the weekend, five sources familiar with the talks said, days after the Iran-backed group seized a strategic stretch of Yemen's Red Sea coast in an offensive that pushed back Saudi-backed forces.
The previously undisclosed meeting took place at the US Embassy in Muscat, according to three of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Two sources said Oman, which has long acted as a regional mediator, helped arrange the talks, reports Times of Israel.
The meeting came as renewed fighting between a Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis continued on Wednesday, alongside condemnation of an alleged Houthi strike targeting the Muslim holy city of Mecca.
One source said the meeting was held on Sunday. Two sources said the Houthi representatives told US officials they had no intention of attacking American vessels and remained committed to the ceasefire reached with Washington in 2025.
According to a Yemeni source, the Houthis also told US officials they would not attack Israeli ships or other commercial vessels, apart from those linked to Saudi Arabia.
The US delegation consisted of embassy personnel, according to two of the sources.
The Trump administration designated the Houthis a "foreign terrorist organisation" in March 2025, making support for the group a criminal offence, as Washington launched a two-month bombing campaign aimed at stopping attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. The US later negotiated with the group and reached a ceasefire in May.
Trump said on Saturday that the Houthis had contacted his administration, asking Washington to stay out of the Yemen war, while Vice President JD Vance on Monday said that the US was in direct contact with the Iran-backed militia, though did not provide details.
One source said the Houthi delegation included senior official Mohammad Abdulsalam, who is based in Muscat and is under US sanctions. Another source confirmed Abdulsalam's presence along with senior Houthi official Abdelmalik al-Ajiri.
Asked whether US officials had met the Houthis in Oman, a State Department spokesperson did not confirm the talks but said protecting freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and preventing the spread of terrorism in the region were Washington's interests.
The Omani embassy in Washington and Abdulsalam did not respond to requests for comment.
The Houthis last week seized effective control of Yemen's entire Red Sea coastline, including the historic port of Mokha and Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key chokepoint for global oil shipments.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler, spoke with Trump last week seeking US military assistance in response to the Houthi advances.
The Houthis seized Yemen's capital in 2014 and have fought a Saudi-led coalition for more than a decade. The conflict had largely quietened under a ceasefire in recent years, but fighting resumed in July after the Houthis announced a blockade of Saudi shipping in the Red Sea in response to a Saudi blockade of Yemeni ports.
Despite the reported meeting with US officials, the Houthis have continued attacks on Saudi Arabia.
On Wednesday, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had targeted an Aramco facility in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu and the Khamis Mushait airbase in southern Saudi Arabia, in response to Saudi airstrikes.
Saree claimed Riyadh had carried out more than 450 airstrikes that week and said the Houthis had responded by targeting the Aramco facility with "dozens of ballistic missiles and drones", causing fires, as well as striking the airbase.
He earlier claimed that the Houthis had shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet. No immediate evidence was provided for the claim.
The latest attacks followed accusations by the Saudi-led coalition that the Houthis had targeted Mecca on Tuesday, triggering outrage across the Muslim world.
A coalition spokesperson said Saudi air defences had destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it could enter restricted airspace over the holy city.
The Houthis denied launching a drone at Mecca, but Riyadh condemned what it described as a "cowardly terrorist attack".
Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said the kingdom "reaffirms its legitimate right to take all necessary measures to defend the security of the two holy mosques, the pilgrims, and the entire Saudi territory, its citizens, and its residents".
Arab League Secretary General Nabil Fahmy also condemned the alleged attack, warning that compromising the security of Mecca and the sanctity of Islamic holy sites was a matter of "extreme gravity".
Qatar also condemned the alleged attack.
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