The Houthis: Iran’s Bargaining Chip With Washington

As Washington scrambled to contain the consequences of the Houthis’ dramatic advance along Yemen’s Red Sea coast last week, US Vice President JD Vance confirmed US media reports that the Trump administration was “engaged in direct conversations with the Houthis.”

Days earlier, Reuters reported that US officials met Houthi representatives at the US embassy in Muscat. Among them was Mohammed Abdulsalam, one of the group’s most senior political officials, who is also under US sanctions. The Houthis reportedly assured Washington that they intended to respect their existing ceasefire with the United States and would not attack American vessels, even as their confrontation with Saudi Arabia continued.

There is an obvious irony. Donald Trump put the Houthis back on the US list of foreign terrorist organisations in January 2025, but his administration is now negotiating with them after their battlefield position considerably improved in recent weeks.

Photo by Mohammed Huwais/AFP via Getty Images

معهد الشرق الأوسط (MEI) هو منظمة تعليمية مستقلة وغير حزبية وغير ربحية. لا يشارك المعهد في أي أنشطة دعوية، وآراء الباحثين فيه تعبر عن آرائهم الشخصية. يرحب المعهد بالتبرعات المالية، لكنه يحتفظ بالسيطرة التحريرية الكاملة على أعماله، ولا تعكس منشوراته سوى آراء المؤلفين. للاطلاع على قائمة المتبرعين للمعهد، يرجى النقر هنا.