U.S. Officials Secretly Met the Houthis in Oman: ‘We Will Not Attack American Ships,’ Sources Say

U.S. officials met with representatives of Yemen’s Houthis over the weekend in Oman, days after the Iran-backed militia took control of a strategic stretch of the Red Sea coast in an offensive that displaced Saudi-backed forces, Reuters revealed on Wednesday. The meeting, which was not made public, was held at the U.S. Embassy in Muscat, three of five sources with knowledge of the matter said, two of whom added that the government of Oman, a longtime regional mediator, helped organize it.

According to the sources, at the meeting the Houthis told U.S. officials that they do not intend to attack American ships and that they remain committed to the 2025 ceasefire with the United States. A Yemeni source said the group also declared it would not attack Israeli or merchant ships — except those belonging to Saudi Arabia.

The Houthi delegation included the senior Muscat-based official Mohammad Abdulsalam, who is under U.S. sanctions, as well as another senior official, Abdelmalik al-Ajiri. The American side was represented by embassy personnel, according to two sources. A U.S. State Department spokesperson did not confirm the meeting but said that protecting freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and preventing the export of terrorism from the Middle East are key U.S. interests.

The Trump administration designated the Houthis a “foreign terrorist organization” in March 2025 but has negotiated with them since — in May it reached a ceasefire after two months of bombing to stop the group’s campaign of attacks on ships in the Red Sea. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the Houthis had called his administration asking the United States to stay out of the war in Yemen, while Vice President JD Vance said on Monday that the U.S. is in direct contact with the group, without giving details.

The meeting comes at a critical moment: the Houthis last week took effective control of the entire Yemeni Red Sea coast, including the historic port of Mokha and Perim Island in Bab el-Mandeb. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Trump last week seeking military support against the Houthis’ dramatic advances, but Reuters reports that Washington told Riyadh it would not get directly involved.

Burimi: Reuters — https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-officials-met-iran-backed-houthis-oman-over-weekend-sources-say-2026-09-16/