U.S. officials held an undisclosed meeting with representatives of Yemen’s Houthis in Oman over the weekend, according to five sources familiar with the discussions, as the Iran backed group expands its control along Yemen’s Red Sea coast.
The meeting took place at the U.S. Embassy in Muscat, with Oman helping facilitate the talks, according to the sources. The contact comes days after the Houthis seized a strategic stretch of Yemen’s western coastline and routed Saudi backed forces.
The discussions highlight Washington’s effort to maintain communication with the Houthis even as the Trump administration has designated the group a foreign terrorist organization and previously conducted military strikes against it.
What was discussed
According to sources familiar with the meeting, the Houthis told U.S. officials that they had no intention of attacking American vessels and remained committed to the ceasefire reached with Washington in 2025.
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One source said the group also pledged not to attack Israeli ships or commercial vessels, with the exception of Saudi vessels.
The Houthi delegation reportedly included senior officials based in Muscat, including Mohammad Abdulsalam and Abdelmalik al Ajiri. Abdulsalam is under U.S. sanctions.
The U.S. delegation was reportedly made up of embassy personnel.
The State Department did not confirm that the meeting had taken place but said protecting freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and preventing the spread of terrorism from the Middle East remained core U.S. interests.
The meeting also follows public comments from Trump and Vice President JD Vance indicating that Washington remains in direct communication with the Houthis. Trump said on Saturday that the group had contacted his administration and asked the United States to stay out of the Yemen war.
Houthi gains change the regional picture
The talks come as the Houthis have significantly expanded their position in western Yemen.
The group last week seized effective control of Yemen’s entire Red Sea coastline, including the historic port of Mocha and Perim Island in the Bab el Mandeb Strait. Control of territory around the strait gives the Houthis a stronger position near one of the region’s important maritime passages.
The group has controlled Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, since 2014 and has fought the Saudi led coalition for more than a decade.
The conflict had largely quietened under a ceasefire in recent years, but fighting resumed in July after the Houthis announced a blockade on Saudi shipping in the Red Sea in response to a Saudi blockade of Yemeni ports.
The latest territorial gains have placed additional pressure on Saudi Arabia, which has sought greater U.S. involvement.
Washington balances competing pressures
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke with Trump last week seeking U.S. military support as Houthi forces advanced. Washington has reportedly told Riyadh that it would not directly enter the conflict.
The talks in Oman suggest that Washington is simultaneously seeking to prevent attacks on U.S. interests and preserve channels of communication with the Houthis.
That approach reflects the complexity of the Yemen conflict. The United States has previously used military force against the group while also negotiating with it. The 2025 ceasefire followed two months of U.S. bombing aimed at stopping Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping.
For Washington, maintaining the ceasefire could help limit threats to American vessels and maritime traffic without requiring a new direct military intervention.
For the Houthis, the reported assurances to U.S. officials could provide a way to manage relations with Washington while consolidating their gains inside Yemen and maintaining pressure on Saudi Arabia.
What’s next
The central question is whether the reported assurances can hold as fighting between the Houthis and Saudi backed forces continues.
The expansion of Houthi control along the Red Sea has increased the strategic importance of the group’s relationship with both Washington and Riyadh. Any renewed attacks on American vessels or wider commercial shipping could place the 2025 ceasefire under renewed pressure.
At the same time, Washington’s decision to maintain contact with the Houthis while declining direct military support for Saudi Arabia indicates that diplomacy remains an important part of its approach to the rapidly changing conflict.
With information from Reuters.
