U.S.-Houthi Talks in Oman: Group Gives Washington Shipping Assurances
U.S.-Houthi talks have opened a direct channel between Washington and Yemen’s Houthis as fighting intensifies around the Red Sea, with five sources saying American officials met representatives of the group at the U.S. Embassy in Muscat over the weekend.
The previously undisclosed meeting focused in part on maritime security and an existing ceasefire between Washington and the Houthis. Three sources familiar with the talks said they were held at the U.S. Embassy in Oman, while two said the Omani government helped arrange the meeting. One source said it took place on Sunday.
U.S.-Houthi Talks Focus on Shipping and Ceasefire
Two sources told Reuters that Houthi representatives assured U.S. officials they did not intend to attack American vessels and remained committed to the ceasefire reached with Washington in 2025.
A Yemeni source said the group also indicated it would refrain from attacking Israeli vessels or other commercial shipping, with the exception of Saudi-owned ships. Those assurances have been reported by sources familiar with the meeting rather than through a joint public statement from Washington and the Houthis.
The U.S. State Department did not confirm that the meeting took place when asked about it. It said, however, that protecting freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and preventing security threats from spreading out of the region remained core U.S. interests.
According to two sources, Washington was represented by U.S. Embassy personnel. The Houthi delegation included senior official Mohammad Abdulsalam, who is based in Muscat and is under U.S. sanctions, as well as Abdelmalik al-Ajiri.
Why Washington Is Talking to the Houthis Now
The meeting came days after Houthi forces expanded their effective control along Yemen’s Red Sea coastline, including the port of Mocha and Perim Island in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a major route for international trade and energy shipments.
Profile News recently covered the renewed Saudi-Houthi escalation around Bab al-Mandab as cross-border attacks and fighting along Yemen’s western coast intensified.
The United States and the Houthis reached a ceasefire in May 2025 following roughly two months of U.S. strikes intended to halt attacks on Red Sea shipping. The Trump administration had designated the Houthis a foreign terrorist organization in March of that year.
Despite the designation, contacts continued. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the Houthis had contacted his administration and asked the United States to remain outside the Yemen war. Vice President JD Vance later said Washington was in direct contact with the group.
Shipping Assurances Come as Saudi Fighting Continues
The talks with Washington have not been matched by a ceasefire between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said on Wednesday that the group had carried out attacks against Aramco facilities in Yanbu and an air base in Khamis Mushait. Saudi Arabia did not independently confirm those claims.
Profile News has also reported on Houthi activity around Bab al-Mandab and the Trump administration’s response as disruptions across regional waterways increase the strategic importance of the strait.
Reuters reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sought U.S. military assistance as the Houthi offensive accelerated. Washington told Riyadh it did not intend to become directly involved in the fighting, according to the report.
The Muscat meeting therefore highlights two tracks unfolding at the same time: escalating fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, and a direct U.S.-Houthi channel focused on shipping and preventing American vessels from being drawn into the confrontation.
Whether the talks reduce risks in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab will depend on how the reported assurances are implemented as fighting in Yemen continues.
Report Sources: Profile News, U.S. Department of State, sources familiar with the talks, Al Jazeera, Reuters.
