The Biden administration is pursuing a narrow definition of designating the Houthis as a terrorist organization, pushing back on calls to label the Iranian-backed military group as a broader, foreign terrorist organization under pressure from Congress.
The U.S. will designate the Houthis as a Specially Designated Terrorist Group (SDTG), in response to attacks the group launched against international commercial shipping in the Red Sea, and what the Houthis say is a response to Israel’s war against Hamas.
The SDTG label differs slightly from a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) label, a designation imposed by the Trump administration in the early days of 2021, but revoked by the Biden administration, over concerns that it would block humanitarian assistance to Yemen.
Senior administration officials briefing reporters Tuesday night on the move said the SDTG designation gives the administration more flexibility in preserving humanitarian aid and commercial goods to Yemen, for a population highly dependent on such deliveries.
“We do think that the SDTG provides better flexibility,” a senior administration official said.
The officials underscored that the SDTG designation was in direct response to Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and not against the broader activities of the group. This is part of a larger effort to preserve U.S. progress in helping mediate a cease-fire in Yemen’s nearly 10-year civil war between the Houthis in the north, and the internationally recognized Yemeni government in the South.
“Now, let's be clear, we are taking this action because the Iranian-backed Houthis continued attacks on the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden,” a senior administration official said.
“The ultimate goal of sanctions is to convince the Houthis to de-escalate and bring about a positive change in behavior. If the Houthis cease their attack, we can consider delisting this designation.”
The designation is expected to take effect on Feb. 16, giving the Biden administration a month to ensure humanitarian groups and businesses delivering life-sustaining goods to Yemen are not impacted by the terrorist designation label.
Republicans who were critical of the Trump administration’s designation of the Houthis as an FTO cited major concerns that such a designation would block life-saving aid for Yemeni civilians — an estimated 22 million people, half of them children, rely on humanitarian assistance.
The administration is looking to implement “robust humanitarian carve-outs” in the terrorism designation, to allow for the delivery of food, medicine, medical devices, and fuel. Other carve-outs will allow personal remittances — funds that can be sent from individual to individuals — telecommunications operations, operations of ports and airports.
U.S. government agencies like USAID will also be allowed to continue operations and work with partner groups on the ground, the officials said.
The administration officials said that the benefit of the SDGT designation is “to highlight the malign activity and isolate Ansarallah and individuals involved with Ansarallah,” using an alternate name for the Houthis.
“It enables coordinated action across the U.S. government and within our international partners to disrupt terrorist activities,” an administration official continued.
“It denies targets access to the U.S. financial system. It enables the imposition of sanctions on other bad actors who support them, and it provides additional basis for U.S. law enforcement action, but it is really holding them accountable for its activities in the region, and then attempting to disrupt terrorism and terrorist threats … it is part of a broader strategy.”
Lawmakers in recent weeks have called on the Biden administration to label the Houthis as an FTO in response to their attacks on the Red Sea.