A senior official with Yemen’s Iran backed Houthi movement has warned other countries against joining Saudi Arabia in the renewed conflict in Yemen, while saying the group has assured the United States that it will not target American vessels in the Red Sea.
Mohamed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi political bureau, told The Associated Press on Sunday that Washington had reached out to the rebels after their recent advance along Yemen’s western coast toward the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Al-Bukhaiti said the Houthis had communicated through Oman and assured U.S. officials that they were not targeting American or other foreign vessels in the strait, except those linked to Saudi Arabia.
“We confirmed that we are not targeting the United States, or any other nation in the strait, with the sole exception of the Saudi enemy,” he said.
U.S. President Donald Trump has also acknowledged discussions with the Houthis, saying the rebels did not want the United States to become involved in the conflict.
The Associated Press reported that Oman hosted a meeting between U.S. and Houthi representatives last weekend. Al-Bukhaiti, however, confirmed only indirect contacts through Oman, which previously helped broker a 2025 ceasefire between Washington and the Houthis.
He said the Houthis’ military operations were not intended to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, but rather to ensure what he described as freedom of navigation for everyone, including Yemen.
At the same time, Al-Bukhaiti warned that the group was prepared to fight on multiple fronts if other countries became involved alongside Saudi Arabia.
“Today, Yemen is capable of waging battle not merely an internal conflict, but an international one as well,” he said.
The Houthi official said attacks against Saudi Arabia would continue until Riyadh ends what the rebels describe as a blockade of Houthi controlled areas and allows vessels to reach ports under their control along the Red Sea.
The latest escalation has included Houthi missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia, including an attack targeting Riyadh that Saudi authorities said was intercepted. Saudi officials also said debris from a Houthi drone killed one civilian and injured others.
The Houthis have also announced a blockade targeting Saudi linked shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea, while attacking vessels and oil facilities linked to Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s largest oil exporters.
The renewed fighting has brought an end to a 2022 ceasefire that had largely halted major hostilities in Yemen’s long running civil war.
The conflict began after the Houthis seized Sanaa and large parts of northern and central Yemen. A Saudi led coalition later intervened on behalf of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.
The war has killed at least 150,000 people, according to United Nations estimates, and pushed Yemen toward a severe humanitarian and food crisis.
The Houthis have recently strengthened their position along Yemen’s western coast, taking control of the strategic port city of Mokha and key Red Sea islands that give them greater ability to monitor shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The waterway is a critical global trade route, with roughly 12 percent of world trade normally passing through it.
Saudi backed Yemeni government forces have withdrawn from some areas but have said they intend to regroup.
Despite the renewed fighting, Mahdi al-Mashat, president of the Houthis’ Supreme Political Council, said Sunday that the group had not abandoned the possibility of peace.
“We have not closed the door to peace,” he said in a speech marking the anniversary of the Houthis’ 2014 takeover of Sanaa.
Al-Bukhaiti said the recent territorial gains had shifted the balance of power toward the Houthi authorities in Sanaa, particularly because of their control over Yemen’s western coastline and access to the Red Sea.
The developments have raised fresh concerns over Yemen’s conflict and the potential impact of the fighting on regional security and international shipping.
