The U.S. designation of the Houthis as a terrorist group puts "additional pressure" on the group that may discourage attacks on ships in the Red Sea, but ultimately a diplomatic solution will have to be found in Yemen, the U.S. Special Envoy for Yemen said on Wednesday.
U.S. special envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking, Reuters/Jehad Shelbak/File Photo
The U.S. designation of the Houthis as a terrorist group puts "additional pressure" on the group that may discourage attacks on ships in the Red Sea, but ultimately a diplomatic solution will have to be found in Yemen, the U.S. Special Envoy for Yemen said on Wednesday.
The Iran-aligned Houthis, who control Yemen's capital and most populous areas, have attacked international shipping in the Red Sea since November in what they say is solidarity with the Palestinians, drawing U.S. and British retaliatory strikes since February.
Envoy Tim Lenderking said the purpose of the strikes was to destroy the Houthis' ability to attack ships.
The Houthi attacks are undermining progress in the peace process in the broader Yemeni conflict, Lenderking said after holding meetings in Saudi Arabia and Oman.
"We favour a diplomatic solution, we know that there is no military solution," he said.
Saudi Arabia mediating between the Houthis and the internationally recognised Yemeni government "gives us some hope that we can use this moment to get beyond current tensions", he added.
He said there has been a 15% reduction in ships being able to dock at Yemen's Hodeidah port, obstructing humanitarian aid.
Reporting by Yousef Saba
A Qatari negotiating team arrived in Tehran on Friday in coordination with United States to try to help secure a deal to end the war with Iran and resolve outstanding issues, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Friday.
Iran's foreign minister met Pakistan's interior minister on Friday to discuss proposals to end the U.S.-Israeli war, Iranian media reported, with Tehran and Washington still at odds over Tehran's uranium stockpile and controls on the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States on Thursday announced sanctions against nine individuals, including Iran's designated ambassador to Lebanon, for obstructing the peace process in the Middle Eastern country and impeding the disarmament of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.