The U.S. would consider removing the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels' designation as a terrorist organization if the militants discontinue attacking ships in the Red Sea, reports Bloomberg.
"My hope is that we can find diplomatic off-ramps," Tim Lenderking, President Joe Biden's special envoy for Yemen, told reporters in an online press briefing on Wednesday. "To find ways to deescalate and allow us to pull back, eventually, the designation and of course to end the military strikes on Houthis' military capability."
The Houthi rebels have launched more than 40 attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November and have described their campaign as an effort to pressure Israel to end its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The ships targeted by the Houthis, however, largely have had little or no connection to Israel, the U.S. or other nations involved in the war.
"Houthi attacks on the Red Sea must stop so we can focus on Yemen's peace efforts and reclosing the Gaza war. It has endangered the lives of civilians and harmed the marine environment," said Lenderking.
The State Department in mid-February designated the Houthis as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Group, giving the U.S. additional powers to crack down on the rebel group's access to the global financial system.
But Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the time said the group could be delisted again if they halted their aggressive behavior.
Yemen, on the tip of the Arabian Peninsula bordering the Red Sea, is the poorest country in the Arab world. War and chronic misgovernment have left 24 million Yemenis at risk of hunger and disease as of 2023, and roughly 14 million in acute need of assistance, the United Nations says. About two-thirds of Yemenis live in territory controlled by the Houthis.
Lenderking said the Houthi attacks are preventing humanitarian aid from getting to their own people and to the Gaza Strip and that the U.S. favors a "diplomatic solution."
"We know there is no military solution, and we are joined by all members of the UN P5 [permanent members], there is a strong consensus that supports the peace efforts going forward, we want to see a de-escalation in the region to go beyond the Red Sea attacks to focus on the peace process," he said.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.