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US officials met representatives of Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis in Oman over the weekend, according to five sources familiar with the discussions, as tensions rise following the group’s rapid advance along Yemen’s Red Sea coast.
The previously undisclosed meeting was held at the US Embassy in Muscat, three sources said. Oman, which has frequently acted as a regional mediator, helped arrange the talks, according to two sources.
The discussions came despite Washington designating the Houthis a “foreign terrorist organization” in March 2025. The United States has nevertheless negotiated with the group, including a May 2025 ceasefire reached after two months of US strikes aimed at stopping Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping.
During Sunday’s meeting, Houthi representatives told US officials they did not intend to target American vessels and remained committed to the 2025 ceasefire, two sources said. The group also reportedly pledged not to attack Israeli or other commercial ships, except Saudi-owned vessels.
US embassy personnel represented Washington, according to two sources. The Houthi delegation reportedly included Mohammad Abdulsalam, a senior official based in Muscat who is under US sanctions, and Abdelmalik al-Ajiri.
The US State Department declined to comment on the reported meeting but said protecting freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and preventing terrorism from spreading beyond the Middle East remained core American interests.
The diplomatic contact follows major Houthi territorial gains. The group last week seized effective control of Yemen’s entire Red Sea coastline, including the historic port of Mocha and Perim Island in the strategically important Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The Houthis captured Yemen’s capital in 2014 and have fought a Saudi-led coalition for more than a decade. Fighting intensified again in July after the group announced a blockade of Saudi shipping in response to restrictions on Yemeni ports.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly sought US military assistance from President Donald Trump following the Houthi advance. Washington, however, has told Riyadh it does not plan to become directly involved in the renewed Yemen conflict.
