US Senator Calls on Oman to Close Houthi Office, Stop Arms Smuggling

Republican Senator Joe Wilson called for cooperation with Saudi Arabia and the UAE to unify the Yemeni army and defeat the Houthis, days after Washington designated the group a "terrorist organization."

“Saudi Arabia is a close and constructive partner and a great friend against the Iranian regime, and we need to work with Saudi Arabia and the UAE to unify the Yemeni military to defeat the Houthis,” Wilson, who is chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Middle East, said via the X platform.

He added: "Our great friends in Oman must isolate the Houthis, not embrace them. The Houthi office in Oman must be closed, money laundering must be stopped, and the borders must be closed to stop the transfer of weapons to the Houthis."

Our great friends in Oman need to isolate and not embrace the Houthis. Houthi office in Oman must be shut down, money laundering stopped, and border sealed to stop Houthi weapon transfers.

— Joe Wilson (@RepJoeWilson) January 30, 2025

The Republican senator stressed that "Iran will be defeated by the Yemenis themselves, and America must help them."

On Wednesday, the Yemeni ambassador to Washington, Mohammed Al-Hadrami, called on the United States of America to increase pressure on the Houthi militia and target its leaders to force them to peace, and to support the Yemeni government to liberate Hodeidah.

On Saturday, Senator Joe Wilson said in a post on the X platform: “Liberate Yemen from Iran,” and before that he said that the Trump administration will work with the internationally recognized Yemeni government to defeat the Iranian-backed Houthi militia.

The US State Department announced last Friday that Secretary Marco Rubio discussed with Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, in a phone call, aspects of cooperation to stop Houthi attacks in the region and eliminate their capabilities.

The US State Department indicated in its statement that Minister Rubio highlighted the President's executive order to redesignate the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization as a critical step toward curbing the group, and expressed his aspiration to continue supporting the Government of the Republic of Yemen in confronting the Houthis.

On January 22, the administration of US President Donald Trump reclassified the Houthi militia as a foreign terrorist organization.

Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been leading a military coalition to support legitimacy in Yemen against the Houthis, who control a number of cities in northern and western Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa. Both countries support and finance military formations on the ground, while Muscat hosts the Houthi negotiating delegation and is accused of facilitating the smuggling of weapons to the Houthis.