The United States is reviewing “potential terrorism criteria” for Yemen’s Houthi group in response to the militant hijacking of a cargo ship, National Security Council strategic communications director John Kirby said Tuesday.
One of the Biden administration’s first actions after taking office in January 2021 was to revoke the Houthis’ terrorist designation over fears that sanctions against them could worsen the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
The Iran-backed Houthis, who have sent drones and long-range missiles to Hamas, seized the Galaxy Leader freighter in the southern Red Sea on Sunday, claiming it belonged to Israel. Kirby called the kidnapping a “flagrant violation of international law” in which Iran was “complicit.”
“In light of this, we have begun reviewing potential terrorist categories and will explore other options with our allies and partners,” Kirby said at a White House news conference. He called for the immediate release of the ship and its international crew.
The ship, designed to carry cars and sail under the Bahamian flag, was chartered by the Japanese company Nippon Yusen. According to LSEG, she is owned by a company registered as Ray Car Carriers, based in the Isle of Man. According to LSEG, the company is a division of Ray Shipping, a company registered in Tel Aviv.
Iran denies any involvement in the hijacking of the ship, which its owner says was taken to the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah in southern Yemen on Monday.
Yemen’s civil war began after the Houthis, members of the Zaydi Shiite sect, captured the capital, Sanaa, in 2014. The following year, a Saudi-led coalition intervened.
Although a UN-brokered ceasefire collapsed in October 2022, Yemen remains relatively calm. The Houthis and Saudi Arabia are negotiating to resolve the conflict.
The country still faces the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with some 21.6 million people – about two-thirds of Yemen’s population – dependent on foreign aid, according to the UN.
The Trump administration blacklisted the Houthis a day before his term ended, prompting the United Nations, aid groups and some U.S. lawmakers to express concern that sanctions would disrupt supplies of food, fuel and other goods to Yemen.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken withdrew this decision from the previous administration on February 12, 2021 “in recognition of the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen.”
