The latest:
US officials met Houthi representatives at the American embassy in Muscat over the weekend, and Washington subsequently decided against intervening to help Saudi Arabia repel the group’s advance inside Yemen, the Guardian reported. President Donald Trump has condemned the push south along Yemen’s western coast as a threat to navigation through Bab al-Mandab while refusing, so far, any military response on Riyadh’s behalf.
Details:
- The assurances: According to the Guardian, the Houthis told the American side that the 2025 ceasefire between the two remains in force and that the group has no intention of attacking US ships in the Red Sea. Only Saudi-linked vessels are considered targets, they said, citing Riyadh’s blockade of Yemen.
- Washington’s calculus: The United States is already engaged in a costly conflict with Iran, the Houthis’ backer. Despite designating the group a foreign terrorist entity in March 2025, US officials have recently met leaders from Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran. Vice President JD Vance confirmed Monday that Washington is in direct contact with the Houthis.
- The former envoy: Nabil Khoury, a former US deputy ambassador to Yemen, said a tacit understanding has been reached between the Trump administration and the Houthis: “The Houthis promise the US administration that American and international navigation in the Red Sea will not be affected, and that the danger is limited only to Saudi ships or those carrying Saudi oil.”
- The Mecca claim: Riyadh said a Houthi drone entered restricted airspace near Islam’s holiest site and was intercepted around 6:50 pm local time Tuesday, according to coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, who called any attack on Mecca a red line. The Houthi leadership dismissed the allegation as the lie of the century, saying such worn accusations convinced no one, while deputy foreign minister Abdulwahed Abu Ras accused Riyadh of desecrating the holy sites itself.
- Contested claims: The Houthis claimed they downed a Saudi F-15 near Marib and struck an Aramco facility in the Red Sea port of Yanbu. Their military spokesman offered no evidence. Negotiating delegation chief Mohammed Abdulsalam said the shootdown was a warning to the West against Saudi propaganda.
- The reactions: The internationally recognized Yemeni government in Aden and the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation issued lengthy condemnations. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned what he called a cowardly and heinous attempt on Mecca in a statement posted on X.
- The secret meeting: Israeli officials leaked details of a closed meeting in Germany last week convened by CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper, Axios reporter Barak Ravid reported. Chiefs of staff from Israel, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and Egypt attended, the first such gathering since the war with Iran began over six months ago.
- The markets: Oil remains above 100 dollars a barrel, and Saudi Arabia’s main east-west pipeline stays shut after a bombing. The Strait of Hormuz is still closed by separate blockades imposed by Iran and the United States.
- The diplomacy: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing Wednesday to build support for Tehran’s plans for Hormuz. Beijing, the main buyer of Iranian oil, urged Washington to return to talks under the June memorandum and rejects secondary sanctions on itself.
Background:
The Houthis seized wide areas of western Yemen along the Red Sea coast in a lightning offensive last week, putting the group within reach of Bab al-Mandab, the chokepoint linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
Between the lines:
With Washington sitting out, Riyadh’s options narrow to two: a negotiated settlement with the Houthis over Yemen’s future governance, or a regional coalition with Pakistan and Turkey. Houthi politburo member Mohammed al-Farah argued the kingdom is now soliciting outside help after failing to achieve its war aims. Israel, once a Houthi target, is offering to intervene on Saudi Arabia’s behalf.
What’s next
Watch whether Russia’s UN envoy formally abandons recognition of the Aden government as Yemen’s sole legitimate authority, whether Riyadh opens direct talks with the Houthis, and whether the east-west pipeline reopens.
