A senior official with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels is warning other countries against joining Saudi Arabia in the resurgent civil war in Yemen. He told The Associated Press on Sunday that his group has assured the Trump administration that it will not attack American ships in the Red Sea.
Mohamed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi politburo, said Washington contacted the rebels after they rapidly advanced along Yemen's western coast towards the Babel l-Mandeb Strait earlier this month.
"We confirm that we are not targeting the United States or any other country in the strait, with the sole exception of the Saudi enemy," he told the AP.
US President Donald Trump said last weekend that his administration "has held talks" with the Houthis, but did not say when.
"The Houthis contacted us and they don't want to fight us. They would much prefer that we not get involved and are allowing most of the ships to pass," he said.
The AP later reported that Oman hosted a meeting between U.S. and Houthi representatives last weekend, citing a Houthi official and another person familiar with the talks. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
However, al-Bukhaiti confirmed only indirect contacts with US officials through Oman, which has long served as a mediator and brokered a ceasefire in 2025 between the Houthis and the Trump administration. That ceasefire ended a weeks-long US bombing campaign against the rebels in exchange for their cessation of attacks on US ships in the Red Sea.
"The goal of our military operations is not to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, but to guarantee freedom of navigation through it for everyone, including Yemen," he said.