The United States has designated Ansarallah, commonly known as the Houthis, as a Specially Designated Terrorist Group. The SDTG designation for the Iran-backed Houthis will become effective February 16.
“We took this action,” said National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communication John Kirby, “because of [the Houthis’] continued reckless and indiscriminate attacks on ships transiting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden:”
“These attacks are a clear example of terrorism, violation of international law, and a major threat to innocent lives and to global commerce.”
The SDGT designation gives the United States the tools to impede terrorist funding to the Houthis, further restrict their access to financial markets, and hold them accountable for their unprecedented attacks on international maritime vessels. The Houthis’ attacks are endangering U.S. personnel and civilian mariners, jeopardizing global trade, and threatening freedom of navigation.
NSC Coordinator Kirby emphasized that the target for the terrorist group designation is the Houthis, not the Yemeni people:
“The United States remains the world’s leading donor of humanitarian assistance for Yemen. We recognize that more than 15 million people in Yemen are still in desperate need of food, water, and medicine. And we are taking a range of steps to ensure that these sanctions preserve the ability of aid organizations to be able to deliver all those much-needed supplies.”
Coordinator Kirby pointed out that the SDGT designation will not come into effect until thirty days after it was announced on January 17. That gives time, he said, for the United States to work closely with aid organizations to answer all questions and make sure they have “a measure of assurance as they continue to provide that humanitarian assistance.”
“Now, if the Houthis cease the attacks, we can certainly reconsider this designation,” noted Coordinator Kirby. “If they don’t, as the President said, we will not hesitate to take further actions to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce.”
The United States is using all levels of national power – diplomacy, information, military action, and economic pressure – “to try to convince the Houthis to stop these attacks,” NSC Coordinator Kirby declared, “and if they don’t, and they clearly haven’t, to make sure that we’re holding them accountable for that.”
