Trump must take punitive measures.. American magazine: Oman supports the Houthis and must be held accountable

An American report spoke about the relationship between the Sultanate of Oman and the Houthis in Yemen, who were classified as a terrorist organization, and its impact on stability, calling on the Trump administration to pressure Muscat, and said, "Among the options is to exert pressure on the Sultanate of Oman to close the Houthi headquarters."

According to a report by the National Interest magazine - translated by "Yemeni Youth Net" - the Sultanate of Oman provides a safe haven for Houthi officials, indicating that "the Sultanate cannot benefit from American friendship and assistance while it is working to exacerbate the crisis in the Middle East." The report considered that "it is time to expose the double game that Oman is pursuing and to consider taking punitive measures."

Under the title "Oman supports the Houthis... It must be held accountable," the American magazine's report indicated, "The confrontation is looming on the horizon in the Middle East. If the ceasefire in Gaza collapses and war returns, it is likely that the Iranian-backed terrorist Houthi group in Yemen will return to fighting."

Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi announced on Friday that his group intends to resume attacks in the Red Sea if the Israeli occupation continues to prevent the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip for four days.

If the past is just prologue, the Houthis will launch ballistic missiles at Israel, while simultaneously targeting US warships and international naval vessels in the Red Sea, according to the American magazine’s report.

The report, written by Jonathan Schanzer, director of the American think tank, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), and Ahmed Shaarawy, a researcher at the same institution, said, “The Trump administration must begin to consider its options, including putting pressure on the Sultanate of Oman to close the Houthi headquarters.”

Oman is a haven for the Houthis

The Sultanate provides safe haven to Houthi officials, including the group’s chief negotiator and de facto foreign minister, Mohammed Abdul Salam, and these individuals operate freely under the protection of the regime in Muscat, according to the report.

The Biden administration has wrestled with how to deal with this issue in recent years. Ultimately, the policy has been to tread carefully, maintaining a strong defense partnership with Muscat.

As of 2022, total U.S. military sales to Oman totaled $3.5 billion. Since 2016, the United States has approved $613 million in direct commercial sales, including small arms, ammunition, and military electronics.

But these transactions are small, all things considered. Which raises the question: Why is the United States so wary of Oman? Up until now, the United States has bought the narrative put forward by Oman, that the government in Muscat is hosting the Houthi leadership to help find a solution to the Yemeni civil war.

One of the group’s leaders, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, reinforced this narrative, saying that “direct dialogue with the United States is impossible and can only happen through its negotiating team in Muscat.”

But there is no evidence that this channel has been useful to the United States, and even as this channel has remained open, the Houthis have emerged as the first terrorist group ever to retain ballistic missile capabilities. This is a dangerous dynamic that cannot be normalized.

Similarly, Houthi attacks on U.S. ships in the Red Sea region have been the largest threat to the U.S. Navy since World War II.

Meanwhile, the Houthis have closed most maritime traffic in the Red Sea for more than a year. The passage accounts for about 12 percent of global maritime trade. “This can never continue,” the report said.

The Omanis are clearly aware of these challenges, and have done nothing to rein in the terrorist group operating on their soil. Instead, Omani officials have praised the Houthis, according to the American magazine. An Omani Foreign Ministry official condemned the US and British strikes against the Houthis in January 2024.

arms smuggling

Oman’s rhetoric is only part of the problem, according to the US report. Since 2015, Oman has provided the Houthis with a corridor to smuggle weapons and access the international financial system. In 2017, Houthi drones entered Yemen via Oman.

In 2018, a UN panel noted that Burkan 2H missiles likely reached Yemen via the Omani land route. Oman was also a smuggling route for cash and gold destined for the Houthis during that period, and there is no indication that this smuggling has stopped.

Last year, advanced military equipment including drone support systems and radar jammers was seized at the Sarfit crossing in Yemen’s Al Mahrah Governorate. The equipment was likely intended to support Houthi drone attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.

Oman’s banking system is no less problematic than the global financial system. The country’s banks are fully involved in the U.S.-led international financial system, giving Houthi officials based there the ability to send and receive money—including in U.S. dollars—with fewer complications.

Muscat and Tehran

Amid all this, Iranian envoys regularly visit Muscat to meet with their Houthi proxies, and these meetings are likely to be operational in nature, with Iranian military personnel providing intelligence and targeting data to their Yemeni allies.

Recently, on February 11, the Chief of General Staff of the Sultanate of Oman, Lieutenant General Abdullah Al-Raisi, met with the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Army, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, in Tehran.

The two men discussed enhancing defense cooperation amid rising regional tensions. The president is also scheduled to attend an upcoming defense exhibition and meet with commanders from the Iranian Navy and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Oman certainly realizes that challenging Iran will be costly, as it is a weak country that cannot afford to conflict with the world’s number one state sponsor of terrorism, but as much as this confrontation entails risks, it also entails rewards, according to the American magazine.

The two countries together control the Strait of Hormuz, a major global chokepoint for more than 40% of the world’s crude oil, so maintaining friendly relations with Tehran is a long-term strategic priority for Muscat.

Omanis are also quick to remind their critics that Oman has played a pivotal role in advancing America’s agenda toward Iran when asked. Oman hosted the U.S.-Iran nuclear deal discussions during the Obama presidency and then facilitated negotiations between the Biden administration and Tehran in 2023.

A 2018 Senate report confirmed that Omani banks, at the request of the Obama administration, helped Iran access its foreign reserves after the 2015 nuclear deal went into effect.

Houthis are a terrorist organization

However, the American magazine’s report saw that “none of this gives the country a free pass to host the Houthis or their Iranian sponsors, as Oman cannot exploit both matters in a way that benefits from American friendship and assistance while causing a crisis in the Middle East.”

"It is time to expose Oman's double game and consider punitive measures," he added.

The Trump administration’s recent designation of the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization creates a legal basis for such steps, and the United States has a clear case for calling on Oman to close the Houthi headquarters operating on its territory and remove Houthi leaders who were based there, according to the US report.

If Oman refuses, the United States should consider imposing sanctions on individuals and entities in Oman that support the Houthis, as failure to act after that would lead to a complete rupture in U.S.-Oman relations, according to the American magazine report.