The U.S. State Department announced Tuesday it has officially reinstated the "foreign terrorist organization" designation for Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi group, implementing an executive order issued by President Donald Trump.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed the department's decision, which imposes sanctions and penalties on anyone providing material support to the militant group. The move comes in response to hundreds of Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since October 2023, when the Israel-Hamas conflict began.
The Houthis have targeted over 100 merchant ships with missiles and drones in these critical trade routes, though they recently indicated they would restrict attacks to only Israeli-affiliated vessels following Gaza ceasefire discussions.
This marks the second time the Houthis have received this designation. The Trump administration initially applied it near the end of his term, but President Joe Biden's administration later revoked it due to humanitarian concerns about aid delivery to Yemen.
The State Department's "Rewards for Justice" program is now offering up to $15 million for information leading to disruption of Houthi financing operations.
The designation comes amid growing tensions in Yemen, where the Houthis have recently detained numerous UN staff members and aid workers. The UN has suspended humanitarian operations in Houthi-controlled areas after eight more staffers were detained.
The Houthi rebels have been engaged in conflict with Yemen's internationally recognized government since 2014, when they took control of the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen. The ongoing war has created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with approximately two-thirds of Yemen's 34 million people requiring aid assistance.