Since mid-October 2023, Yemen’s Houthi militia has carried out repeated attacks on Red Sea maritime commerce, disrupting global trade and prompting the United States and United Kingdom to launch retaliatory airstrikes as well as label the Houthis as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group. The Iran-backed militia claims it will continue its attacks until the war in Gaza comes to an end. What’s really driving the Houthis’ escalatory military activity and what does it mean for the future of Red Sea security? What is the nature of their relationship with Tehran and how do they fit into the Axis of Resistance? More pressingly, what can the US and other governments do to respond?
To discuss these critical questions, MEI is hosting a half-day conference featuring a keynote from US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking as well as two expert panels, moderated by Amb. (ret.) Gerald Feierstein, Distinguished Senior Fellow on U.S. Diplomacy and the Director of MEI’s Arabian Peninsula Affairs Program, and Alex Vatanka, Senior Fellow and Director of MEI’s Iran Program.
Speakers
Farea Al-Muslimi Research Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Program, Chatham House
Shukriya Bradost Doctoral Researcher, Virginia Tech
Behnam Ben Taleblou Research Fellow, Iranian Security, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Alex Vatanka, moderator Senior Fellow and Director, Iran Program, Middle East Institute
