In its latest “you have to be kidding me” proposal by the Biden Administration, officials are considering stripping the Houthi “terrorist” label if they stop attacking ships.
The Houthis— an Iranian-backed and Yemini-based terrorist organization— may soon no longer be labeled as terrorists despite warning of further "escalation" in response to the United States launching additional strikes in Yemen last month.
In recent months, out of support for the Hamas terrorist group, Houthi terrorists launched a series of missile and drone strikes on commercial shipping liners and U.S. and coalition forces in the Red Sea.
“My hope is that we can find diplomatic off-ramps,” Tim Lenderking, the Biden Administration’s special envoy for Yemen, told reporters on Wednesday. “To find ways to deescalate and allow us to pull back, eventually, the designation and of course to end the military strikes on Houthis’ military capability.”
The Biden Administration officially designated Houthis as terrorists in January, making this the second time the Administration has de-listed the group from the nation’s terrorist list.
Shortly after President Joe Biden took office, Secretary of State Antony Blinken removed the group from the Foreign Terrorist Organization over concerns about humanitarian aid to Yemen.
At the end of the Trump Administration, former President Trump had designated the group as an FTO and SDGT.
In response to a reporter’s question on whether the Biden Administration is offering the Houthis a “quid pro quo” halt to the Red Sea attacks in exchange for being delisted from the SDGT, Lenderking told Bloomberg that “We would certainly study that but not assume it’s an automatic thing.”
The president’s latest move indicates that the Biden Administration is considering an end to the conflict with Houthi terrorists through diplomacy. pproved of his economy.