Tipsheet

Biden Officially Backtracks on Disastrous Terrorism Designation for the Houthis

Katie Pavlich
Katie Pavlich  |  January 17, 2024 12:15 PM

After President Joe Biden rushed to remove the Iranian backed Houthis as a designated Islamic terrorist organization in early 2021, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan announced Wednesday the group has been officially redesignated. 

"Over the past months, Yemen-based Houthi militants have engaged in unprecedented attacks against United States military forces and international maritime vessels operating in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. These attacks fit the textbook definition of terrorism. They have endangered U.S. personnel, civilian mariners, and our partners, jeopardized global trade, and threatened freedom of navigation. The United States and the international community have been united in our response and in condemning these attacks in the strongest terms," Sullivan released in a statement, failing to mention Iran a single time. 

"Today, in response to these continuing threats and attacks, the United States announced the designation of Ansarallah, also known as the Houthis, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. This designation is an important tool to impede terrorist funding to the Houthis, further restrict their access to financial markets, and hold them accountable for their actions. If the Houthis cease their attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the United States will immediately reevaluate this designation," he continued. 

While attacks on the U.S. military and commercial shipping continues each day, the redesignation won't be implemented until late February. 

"The designation will take effect 30 days from now, to allow us to ensure robust humanitarian carve outs are in place so our action targets the Houthis and not the people of Yemen," Sullivan continued. "We are sending a clear message: commercial shipments into Yemeni ports on which the Yemeni people rely for food, medicine and fuel should continue and are not covered by our sanctions. This is in addition to the carveouts we include in all sanctions programs for food, medicine, and humanitarian assistance. As President Biden has said, the United States will not hesitate to take further actions to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce."

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The delay is part of Biden's old policy towards the Houthis and berating of Saudi Arabia.

Over the weekend two Navy SEALs were lost at sea during a mission to intercept a weapons shipment to the Houthis. 

The move comes after months of Houthi missile and drone attacks on U.S. troops in the Middle East, in addition to the hijacking and targeting of commercial ships in the Red Sea. Last month shipping giant Maersk stopped travel through the Red Sea. On Tuesday, global oil company Shell announced all shipments through the international waterway were stopped and rerouted on longer journeys to their destinations.