Houthis Must Pay the Consequences for their Actions

Over the past month, the Houthis, with the backing of Iran, continue to demonstrate the threat they pose to navigational rights at sea, stability in the region, and the welfare of the Yemeni people, said John Kelley, Acting Representative of the United States to the United Nations.

On August 31, the Houthis unlawfully detained at least 21 UN staff from their offices and homes. “The United States strongly condemns these unjust detentions,” said Mr. Kelley.

“The United States also calls for the immediate and unconditional release of these UN staff, as it continues to call for the release of the staff of humanitarian organizations, the UN, and diplomatic missions unjustly detained in 2021, 2023, and 2024, as well as the crew members of the MC Eternity C.”

In addition, the Houthis detain their fellow Yemenis, harass and abuse civil society members who oppose them, and severely restrict the operating space for humanitarian activities.

Over the past month, the Houthis have intensified their threats to regional stability and to navigational rights and freedoms in the Red Sea, Mr. Kelley noted.

“They continue to launch attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure in Israel, expanding their repertoire of weapons to include cluster bombs. They have extended the range of their territorial attacks, including launching a missile against an Israel-owned ship in the northern Red Sea. The United States condemns Houthi attacks against Israel. We stand with Israel and its right of self-defense against Iranian-backed terrorist groups like the Houthis.”

It is now clear that the Houthis are also drug dealers. The Yemeni government’s counterterrorism forces recently seized 600 kilograms of cocaine meant for the Houthis. This follows several large seizures of Captagon since June, all meant to fund Houthi terrorist activities.

“The Houthis must be deprived of resources for their terrorist activities,” declared Mr. Kelley.

“To that end, the United States continues to put pressure on the Houthis to disrupt their access to funding and weapons. On September 11, the U.S. Treasury Department issued additional sanctions against those facilitating Houthi operations, making it Treasury’s largest sanctions action to date targeting the Houthis. The network targeted included individuals and entities that are part of the Houthis’ global illicit fundraising, smuggling, and weapons procurement operations.”

The U.S. urges Security Council members to explore their own potential terrorist designations and to provide funding for the UN Verification and Inspection Mission, a critical tool for enforcement of Security Council resolutions.

Iran continues to defy Security Council resolutions by supplying the Houthis with military, logistical, and intelligence support. “This Council,” urged Mr. Kelley, “should impose consequences using the tools at its disposal."