Muscat, 17 September (H.S.): Amid escalating tensions in the Red Sea, US diplomats held a meeting with representatives of Yemen’s Houthi movement in Oman’s capital, Muscat. According to regional sources familiar with the matter, the meeting took place over the weekend at the US Embassy in Muscat. Discussions focused on maintaining the May 2025 ceasefire between the United States and the Houthis and keeping the Bab al-Mandeb Strait open to navigation.

According to US news outlet Axios, the meeting was arranged with the assistance of the Omani government. Washington is seeking to keep traffic moving through the strategically important maritime route in the Red Sea without becoming directly involved militarily in the ongoing conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis in Yemen. The United States has so far refrained from accepting Saudi requests for direct military intervention.

According to a source, US diplomats from the American embassy participated in the meeting, but the US ambassador was not present. During the talks, Houthi representatives reportedly said they wanted to maintain the ceasefire reached with the United States in May 2025. They also claimed that their recently resumed operations were directed only at Saudi vessels. The Houthis reportedly assured the US side that they would maintain freedom of navigation for other vessels passing through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

The US State Department declined to comment directly on reports of the meeting. A department spokesperson said that key US interests in the Middle East include ensuring freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the wider region, as well as preventing the spread of terrorism.

The spokesperson said the United States remains in regular contact with its regional allies and partners regarding Yemen. The US is also focused on shared counterterrorism objectives against the Houthis and other groups it identifies as terrorist organizations.

A day after the meeting, US Vice President JD Vance told reporters that Washington was in communication with the Houthis. He said the United States had been directly engaged with the group and that the administration believed it was trying to manage the situation.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi about efforts to reduce regional tensions.

Against the backdrop of the Red Sea crisis, tensions between the Houthi movement in Yemen and Saudi Arabia have intensified in recent days. Reports have emerged of Houthi drone and missile attacks targeting Saudi Arabia, including an attempted drone strike toward Mecca and missile attacks directed at other Saudi cities.

Saudi Arabia has intensified airstrikes against Houthi positions in Yemen. However, Saudi-backed Yemeni forces have so far not secured a decisive advantage over the Houthis on the ground. Recent Houthi advances have included strategically important areas near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

The Houthis continue to control coastal areas and several islands around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Keeping the maritime route open is important for the United States because the strait is a major shipping corridor for global trade and energy supplies.

The meeting in Muscat indicates that Oman continues to play a mediating role in facilitating communication between the United States and the Houthis. Amid the wider regional tensions, Washington faces the challenge of maintaining international maritime traffic through the Red Sea while avoiding direct military involvement in the conflict in Yemen.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar