US raised prospect of blacklisting Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis, says Oman FM

Oman’s foreign minister said on Saturday the top US diplomat for the Middle East had discussed with his country the possibility of Washington designating Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement as a terrorist group.

“Yes that was raised,” Sayyed Badr Al Busaidi told a Bahrain summit in response to a question on whether the designation had been raised by David Schenker during a visit to Muscat.

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“I don’t think there is a solution based on classifying or blockading one key player in that conflict and not bringing them to the negotiating table,” the Omani minister added.

Last November, Al Arabiya English reported that the Trump administration is set to designate the Iran-backed Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization in the coming days, according to sources familiar with the decision.

In another development, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Saturday that there has been “significant progress” in resolving the Gulf crisis that began in 2017.

“We have seen significant progress in the last few weeks, which means we are now hopeful we can reach a final conclusion very soon that will be satisfactory to all parties,” Prince Faisal said, at the International Institute for Security Studies Manama Conference on Saturday.

Read more:

Why Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement should be designated as a terrorist group

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with Reuters