Yemen Dismisses US Terror Designation, Reaffirms Support for Gaza
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A senior Yemeni official dismissed the United States' recent designation of the Ansarullah movement, saying the resistance group's priority remains aiding the besieged Gaza Strip.
Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of Ansarullah’s Supreme Political Council, said Washington’s decision to place the group on its "terrorist list" was insignificant compared to the urgent need to send essential supplies to Gaza.
“This priority is more important than Washington’s illegitimate decision,” al-Houthi said on Thursday, two days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio re-designated the Yemeni movement as a "foreign terrorist organization (FTO)."
He slammed the United States for blocking aid to Gaza and undermining peace efforts, saying, “Blocking aid to Gaza and undermining peace agreements are American terrorism, while Yemen's support for Gaza through maritime operations is a legitimate act.”
US President Donald Trump had pledged to take action against the Yemeni resistance movement just three days after taking office in January.
Earlier, Ansarullah’s Political Bureau reiterated its support for the Palestinian people’s right to resist occupation. It said Yemen’s armed forces were ready to resume operations against Israeli crimes and called on Arab nations to take serious steps to break the blockade on Gaza and support the Palestinians.
On Wednesday, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on seven Ansarullah leaders, alleging they had smuggled "military-grade items and weapon systems into Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen" and negotiated weapons deals with Russia.
The move came in response to Yemeni military operations against Israeli-occupied territories and attacks on US Navy ships and Israel-linked vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November 2023. Yemen has said these actions were carried out in support of Palestinians killed in the Israeli assault on Gaza.
