The Biden administration on Wednesday re-designated the Houthis as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity amid continued attacks by the Yemen-based militia.
Administration officials said the SDGT designation is aimed at deterring the Houthis from their ongoing aggression in the Red Sea. It is latest in a series of US actions targeting the Iranian-backed group and comes as the specter of a wider regional war in the Middle East looms large.
“These attacks are clear example of terrorism and a violation of international law and a major threat to lives, global commerce, and they jeopardize the delivery of humanitarian assistance,” a US senior administration official said in a call with reporters Tuesday.
The administration removed the Houthis’ SDGT designation and de-listed it as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) in February 2021, after it was designated by the Trump administration in its final weeks.
At the time, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the decision to remove the group’s designations was driven by concerns that it could imperil the ability to deliver crucial assistance to the people of Yemen. He said it was “a recognition of the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen.”
However, pressure has grown on the administration to reimpose the designations amid the attacks in the Red Sea, which the Houthis claim is retaliation for the Israeli military offensive in Gaza. The attacks have had consequences for the global economy as they have effectively closed one of the world’s main trade routes to most container ships.
The administration did not re-list the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization.
Both terrorist designations trigger economic sanctions, but only an FTO designation imposes as travel ban on members of the group and authorizes sanctions on those who provide “material support” to…
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