US officials met representatives of Yemen's Houthi movement in Oman last weekend, multiple sources have confirmed, as the Iran-backed militia completed a sweeping offensive that gave it control of Yemen's entire Red Sea coastline. The meeting, held at the US embassy in Muscat — organised with the help of Oman, a longstanding regional mediator — included senior Houthi official Mohammad Abdulsalam, who is himself under US sanctions, and another senior figure, Abdelmalik al-Ajiri. The State Department declined to comment on the specific meeting, though Vice President JD Vance confirmed on Monday that the US was in direct contact with the group.
During the talks, the Houthis assured American officials they remained committed to a ceasefire reached in May 2025 — following two months of US airstrikes against the group — and stated they had no intention of targeting American, Israeli, or other commercial vessels. The sole exception, the Houthis reportedly said, was Saudi-linked shipping, which they regard as a legitimate target in response to a Saudi blockade of Yemeni ports. The meeting followed President Donald Trump's public statement on 12 September that the Houthis had contacted his administration asking the US to stay out of the Yemen conflict. Former US deputy ambassador to Yemen Nabeel Khoury described the outcome as "a kind of tacit understanding" — Washington would not intervene militarily, and American navigation in the Red Sea would remain unimpeded.
The Houthis, who are followers of Zaydi Shia Islam and first seized the Yemeni capital Sanaa in 2014, have fought a Saudi-led coalition for over a decade. The conflict had quieted under a ceasefire in recent years, but hostilities resumed in July after the Houthis declared a blockade on Saudi shipping in retaliation for Saudi restrictions on Yemeni ports. Last week's offensive saw the group capture the historic port of Mocha and Perim Island in the Bab al-Mandab strait — the narrow waterway at the mouth of the Red Sea through which a significant share of global trade passes — prompting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to call Trump directly to request US military support. Washington declined.
The US decision has placed enormous pressure on Saudi Arabia, which is now reportedly exploring diplomatic solutions or attempting to build a regional coalition involving Pakistan and Turkey. Riyadh also alleged that the Houthis fired a drone toward Mecca, Islam's holiest city — a claim the Houthis called "the lie of the century" and which drew condemnation from Pakistan and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. The Houthis, who observe Zaydi practices that include respect for the pilgrimage to Mecca, denied the accusation and accused Saudi Arabia of fabricating a pretext to mobilise international support.
The broader regional picture is deeply complex. The US is already engaged in a costly conflict with Iran, which backs the Houthis, making direct involvement in Yemen an additional burden Washington appears unwilling to shoulder. Iranian and US blockades have separately closed the Strait of Hormuz, keeping oil prices well above $100 a barrel. In Beijing, Iran's foreign minister met his Chinese counterpart seeking support over the strait's future administration, while a leaked report revealed a secret military meeting in Germany involving commanders from the US, Israel, and several Arab states. The Red Sea standoff, once focused on commercial shipping disruption, has become a thread running through almost every major fault line in the Middle East.