US officials met with Houthi representatives in Oman — sources
US officials met with representatives of Yemen’s Houthi movement in Muscat, Oman, last weekend. The meeting at the US Embassy was not publicly announced, The Jerusalem Post reports, citing five sources familiar with the matter.
Meeting in Muscat
Three of the publication’s interlocutors, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the talks took place at the US Embassy in Muscat. Two other sources said the Omani authorities, which have long acted as a regional mediator, helped arrange the meeting.
According to one source, the talks took place on Sunday. Two sources claim that the Houthis told the American side they had no intention of attacking US vessels and were committed to the ceasefire with the United States reached in 2025.
One Yemeni source also said that the movement’s representatives stated their intention not to attack Israeli ships and other commercial vessels, except for those belonging to Saudi Arabia.
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Participants and US reaction
According to two sources, the United States was represented at the meeting by embassy staff. One source said the Houthi delegation included Mohammed Abdulsalam, a senior movement official based in Muscat who is under US sanctions. Another source confirmed his presence and reported the participation of another senior Houthi official, Abdelmalik al-Ajri.
A State Department spokesperson did not confirm that the talks took place. At the same time, he said that protecting freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and preventing the spread of terrorism from the Middle East are key US interests. The Embassy of Oman in the United States and Mohammed Abdulsalam did not respond to requests for comment.
Situation in Yemen
The meeting took place after the Houthis, according to the publication, established de facto control last week over Yemen’s entire Red Sea coastline, including the port of Mocha and Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The Houthis seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014 and have been fighting a Saudi Arabia-led coalition for more than ten years.
US President Donald Trump’s administration designated the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization in March 2025. At the same time, Washington continued contacts with the movement and reached a ceasefire in May 2025 following two months of strikes against the group aimed at stopping its campaign of attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
