US Officials Secretly Met Houthis in Oman
US Officials Secretly Met Houthis in Oman
The News
U.S. officials met representatives of Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis in Oman over the weekend, five sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The meeting was held at the U.S. Embassy in Muscat and has not been made public, according to Reuters.
It came days after the Houthis seized a strategic stretch of Yemen's Red Sea coast in a sweeping offensive that routed Saudi-backed forces.
The Houthis promised not to target U.S. ships, IBTimes reported.
Timeline
The Houthis mount a sweeping offensive that routs Saudi-backed forces and takes a strategic stretch of Yemen's Red Sea coast, along with key islands in the Red Sea and in Yemen, according to Reuters and IBTimes.
U.S. officials meet Houthi representatives at the U.S. Embassy in Muscat, Oman, five sources familiar with the matter tell Reuters. The meeting is not announced.
Reuters reports the meeting. Newsmax, IBTimes and Iran International pick up the account the same day.
Reactions
The talks were disclosed only through people familiar with them. Reuters reported that the meeting had not been made public, and the five sources who described it were not named.
IBTimes framed the encounter as the Houthis cashing in on battlefield gains, reporting that the group came away pledging not to target American ships after taking key islands in the Red Sea and in Yemen.
Newsmax emphasized the timing — a sit-down with an Iran-backed militia days after that militia overran forces backed by Saudi Arabia, a U.S. partner.
What's Next
Whether the Muscat channel produces anything durable — above all on the safety of U.S. and commercial shipping in the Red Sea — is the open question, and neither Washington nor the Houthis have laid out next steps publicly.
Watch for official confirmation or denial of the meeting, any follow-up session in Oman, and whether the Houthis' pledge on U.S. ships holds as they consolidate the coastline they just took.
More
Oman has long served as the venue for contacts the parties do not want on the record; the reported meeting took place on U.S. diplomatic ground, at the embassy in Muscat.
The Houthis' advance, as reported by Reuters, did not just gain territory — it beat Saudi-backed forces on the ground, which is the leverage the group brought into the room.
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