US lawmakers urge Biden administration to redesignate Houthis as foreign terrorist organization (text of letter)

A group of US senators sent a letter to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken calling for the re-designation of the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization ( FTO ), which would impose heavy costs on the Houthis and reduce their ability to commit terrorist acts.

The call comes after the Biden administration’s controversial decision in 2021 to rescind the Houthis’ designation as a terrorist organization. The senators said the Houthis have since intensified their destabilizing activities in the Middle East, with clear support from the Iranian regime.

In the letter dated November 1, 2024, the senators expressed concern about the escalation of Houthi attacks, particularly through drones and missiles targeting international shipping lanes.

They considered that reclassifying the Houthis as a terrorist organization would impose significant costs on the group, and would effectively limit its ability to carry out its operations and secure the necessary resources.

The speech was led by U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV), and was joined by Rick Scott (R-FL), Bob Casey (D-PA), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV).

“The Iranian regime has played a major role in providing the Houthis with advanced weapons and military capabilities including ballistic missiles, drones, and cruise missile components,” the letter said. “Since 2015, at least 20 Iranian ships carrying smuggled weapons to the Houthis have been intercepted, demonstrating the ongoing logistical and military support the Houthis receive from Tehran.”

He pointed out that this support encouraged the Houthis to expand their military operations outside Yemen's borders, targeting neighboring countries and becoming a threat to the interests of the United States and its allies, such as Israel and Saudi Arabia.

“We therefore urge you to immediately redesignate the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization, which would enable the United States to better target the group’s assets and financial support and hold the group accountable for committing acts of terrorism against the United States, Israel, and our partners and allies throughout the region,” he continued.

Message text:

Dear Secretary Blinken:

We write to ask you to redesignate the Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. Since the Houthis’ FTO designation was misleadingly rescinded in 2021, the Houthis, with the support of the Iranian regime, have escalated their efforts to destabilize the Middle East. These actions include launching drones and missiles at Israel that have killed civilians, disrupting international shipping by targeting commercial vessels, directly attacking U.S. forces, and obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Yemen.

While we recognize that your Administration has designated the Houthis as Specially Designated Global Terrorists, this designation does not come close to the impact of designating a foreign terrorist organization. Designating the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization would impose significant costs on the Houthis and reduce their ability to commit acts of terrorism.

The Houthis, whose constant call to arms includes the phrase “Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse the Jews,” are a key player in Iran’s proxy terrorist network. As the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, Tehran has fueled the conflict between Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the Houthis by supplying the group with a wide range of advanced weapons, including ballistic, surface-to-air, and cruise missile components, unmanned aerial vehicles, and small arms.

According to the Defense Intelligence Agency, the United States and its partners have intercepted at least 20 Iranian smuggling ships bound for the Houthis since 2015. By providing the Houthis with advanced capabilities, the Iranian regime has allowed the group to expand its aggression beyond Yemen’s borders, including by repeatedly launching drones and missiles at Israel. These attacks include a drone strike on Tel Aviv in July 2024 using an Iranian-made drone that killed one person and wounded 10 others.

Following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 terrorist attack on Israel, the Houthis have begun targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, posing a significant threat to the free flow of commerce in one of the world’s most important shipping lanes. These attacks have involved anti-ship ballistic missiles, drones, and cruise missiles. These actions not only threaten the security of our partners in the region, but also disrupt the delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemen and other conflict zones, jeopardize global energy markets and supply chains, and increase shipping costs.

Additionally, following the U.S.-led coalition’s launch of Operation Sentinel on December 18, 2023, to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the Houthis launched multiple attacks on U.S. military forces. Despite coalition strikes in Yemen aimed at disrupting and degrading Houthi capabilities, the group has been able to continue to commit acts of terrorism. We should not wait for U.S. casualties to take further action to impose costs on the Houthis.

Redesignating the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization would make individuals or entities that provide material support to the group subject to criminal prosecution and designation as Tier III terrorists subject to sanctions and travel bans, open economic tools to target Houthi weapons procurement networks and manufacturing capabilities, provide a legal right of action for victims of Houthi terrorism in the United States, and prevent Houthi members from obtaining visas or entering the United States. Furthermore, redesignating the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization would not inherently disrupt the delivery of international assistance to Yemeni civilians.

We therefore urge you to immediately redesignate the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, which would enable the United States to better target the group’s assets and financial support and hold the group accountable for committing acts of terrorism against the United States, Israel, and our partners and allies throughout the region. We thank you for your attention to this matter, and we look forward to your response.

sincerely,