Former President Trump has reinstated the designation of the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), citing their ongoing threats to American citizens, personnel in the Middle East, regional partners, and global maritime trade. This action reverses a decision made by the Biden administration and marks the second time Trump has labeled the group as an FTO.
In an executive order, Trump highlighted the Houthis' connection to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force (IRGC-QF), which provides them with arms and training. He pointed to numerous attacks carried out by the group, including strikes on US Navy warships, civilian airports in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and over 300 projectiles fired at Israel since October 2023. The order also noted the Houthis' attacks on commercial vessels in the Bab al-Mandeb strait, disrupting global trade and contributing to inflation.
The Trump administration first designated the Houthis as an FTO in January 2021, a decision quickly reversed by the Biden administration. The White House under Trump criticized this reversal, attributing the Houthis' continued aggression to the Biden administration's perceived weakness. They highlighted the numerous attacks on US warships and civilian infrastructure as evidence of the ongoing threat posed by the group.
While the Biden administration removed the FTO designation, they later designated the Houthis as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity, a less severe classification. Then-State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller defended this decision, citing recent Houthi attacks on cargo ships, although such attacks have been ongoing for years. Miller argued that the escalation of attacks on commercial shipping warranted the SDGT designation.
The executive order mandates the Secretary of State to recommend the re-designation of the Houthis within 30 days.
