US designates Yemen’s Iran-linked Houthi rebels as terrorists
- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s last-minute move is in defiance of aid groups who fear it will worsen a humanitarian crisis
- His action could complicate Joe Biden’s promised efforts to restart diplomacy with Iran and to reassess the US alliance with Saudi Arabia
Unless Congress blocks the decision, the Houthis will be blacklisted on January 19 – one day before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, whose aides had hoped to mount a fresh push to end Yemen’s devastating six-year-old war.
Pompeo’s action could complicate Biden’s promised efforts to restart diplomacy with Iran and to reassess the US alliance with Saudi Arabia, which has led a bloody offensive in its impoverished southern neighbour.
“The designations are intended to hold Ansar Allah accountable for its terrorist acts, including cross-border attacks threatening civilian populations, infrastructure and commercial shipping,” Pompeo said in a statement late on Sunday, using the official name of the Houthi movement.
The Houthis have “led a brutal campaign that has killed many people, continues to destabilise the region and denies Yemenis a peaceful solution to the conflict in their country”, he added.