U.S. Declines Military Support for Saudi Arabia After Talks with Houthi Leaders in Oman

U.S. officials met senior Houthi leaders at the Omani embassy in Muscat over the weekend, after which the United States said it would not intervene militarily to help Saudi Arabia push back a Houthi advance in western Yemen. The Iran-backed group told Washington that the 2025 cease-fire agreement remained in force and that it would not attack international vessels in the Red Sea, limiting any potential threat to Saudi-linked shipping.

Vice-president JD Vance confirmed that the United States was in direct contact with the Houthis, and a former deputy U.S. ambassador to Yemen, Nabeel Khoury, described the outcome as a “kind of tacit understanding” in which the Houthis pledged to keep Red Sea navigation safe for non-Saudi ships. The decision comes as Washington seeks to avoid further entanglement in the broader Iran-U.S. conflict.

Saudi Arabia, which has accused the Houthis of attempting to launch a drone at Mecca, has called the claim a “red line” violation and urged regional partners to respond. The Houthi leadership dismissed the allegation as false and, in turn, claimed to have downed a Saudi F-15 near Marib and struck an Aramco facility in Yanbu, though no independent verification was provided.

The U.S. stance places pressure on Riyadh to pursue either a diplomatic settlement with the Houthis or to coordinate a regional coalition, reportedly involving Pakistan and Turkey, to counter the Houthi gains along the Red Sea coast. Separate reports indicate that senior military commanders from the United States, Israel and several Arab states met in Germany to discuss coordinated actions against Iran, with Israel indicating willingness to support Saudi Arabia in Yemen.

The United Nations Security Council condemned any attempt to close the Red Sea, while Russia’s envoy signaled a shift in its position on the legitimacy of Yemen’s Aden-based government. In Beijing, Iran’s foreign minister met his Chinese counterpart to seek backing for Tehran’s plans regarding the Strait of Hormuz, and China urged the United States to resume talks based on a June memorandum of understanding.