The aim is to stymie Iranian regime activity in Yemen, while supporting Saudi Arabia. “The action would establish steep legal hurdles for anyone seeking to conduct business with the Houthis.”
Iran has been fighting a proxy war against Saudi Arabia using the Houthis in Yemen. This conflict is the latest manifestation of the ancient Shia-Sunni divide. Several weeks ago, a large explosion struck the international airport in Yemen soon after a plane carrying the newly formed (Saudi backed) coalition cabinet landed there. At least 22 people were killed and 50 wounded in the blast; Houthis were blamed. No one in the coalition was harmed. The Saudi-supported coalition “later shot down a bomb-laden drone that attempted to target the palace.”
“Trump Administration Moves To Brand Houthis In Yemen A Terrorist Group”, By Bill Chappell & Colin Dwyer, KCPW, January 11, 2021:
The Trump administration says it will designate Yemen’s Houthi movement a terrorist organization, in a move that has elicited consternation from international aid organizations and authorities.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the U.S. wants to “deter further malign activity by the Iranian regime” that backs the Houthis.
The designation is set to take effect on Jan. 19 — the day before Trump leaves office and President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in.
“If Ansarallah did not behave like a terrorist organization, we would not designate it” as one,” Pompeo said in a statement about the plan. The U.S. accuses the Houthis of carrying out a deadly campaign that has destabilized both Yemen and the Middle East.
The terrorist label would apply to the Houthis, whose formal name is Ansarallah, and to three of the movement’s leaders: Abdul Malik al-Houthi, Abd al-Khaliq Badr al-Din al-Houthi, and Abdullah Yahya al Hakim.
The action would establish steep legal hurdles for anyone seeking to conduct business with the Houthis. It would also bar members of the movement from entering the U.S. and render it unlawful for U.S. nationals to provide them with “material support or resources.”…
Mark Spahn (West Seneca, NY) says
More of Trump’s anti-Blowfish propaganda. The Hooties have a great poster:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houthi_movement#/media/File:Ansarullah_Flag_Vector.svg
gravenimage says
Thanks for that link, Mark.
Infidel says
More of this 11th hour activity. Why weren’t they already on the list of terror groups?
gravenimage says
I agree–but better late than never. Most administrations would not do it at all.
mortimer says
Very important to do this. The Muslim Brotherhood (a terrorist organization) and its offshoots such as CAIR (a front for a terrorist organization) should also be banned.
gravenimage says
Trump administration to designate Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis a terrorist group
…………….
*Good*. I just hope it is too impolitic for Biden to undo this.
James Lincoln says
gravenimage,
It is not likely that Sleepy Joe will undo this – bad optics.
So…
Good thing that Pres. Trump took this action against Houthis, Sleepy Joe never would have done it…
gravenimage says
Yes, James–that’s what I’m hoping.
Infidel says
James & Gravenimage, don’t count that out. On the Left, while it’s usually verboten to criticize islam or jihad, there is one exception to the rule: Saudi Arabia. Don’t count out the Left giving the Houthis the same status as the Palis just to show their anti-Saudi bona-fides. And that stance is pretty popular given the Saudi role in 9/11, and the fact that in this country, we don’t seem to differentiate b/w one government and the other
James Lincoln says
I hope not, Infidel…
Mojdeh says
We are glad all Proxies of Iran must called Terrorist including Iran Government. Iran is already in black listed.Israel Revisiting Military Options Regarding Iran, Newspaper Says
Israel is refreshing its military plans to confront Iran, an Israeli newspaper reported Thursday [Jan. 14], as the government readies itself to deal with possible differences of policy with the incoming Biden administration.
A front-page article in Israel’s largest-circulation daily said the military is crafting three options to “undermine Iran’s nuclear efforts or, if need be, counter Iranian aggression, which will soon be presented to the government”.
The paper, Israel Hayom, did not cite any sources. But it went on to quote Defense Minister Benny Gantz as saying: “Israel needs to have a military option on the table.”
Israel has long had plans in place to counter Iran. The article appeared designed to signal that these were now being updated. Iran has begun expanding its nuclear program in recent weeks in violation of the 2015 nuclear deal. Israel has vowed not to allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons.
During the previous Democratic administration of Barack Obama, which championed diplomacy with Iran, Israel occasionally threatened preventive airstrikes against Iranian nuclear sites, but this would be difficult without some sort of US military participation.
Recently, Israel normalized its relations with United Arab Emirates and Bahrian, two Gulf Arab countries, that could provide a shorter route to Israeli aircraft in any attack on Iran. But it is not clear what degree of cooperation exists between Israel and these countries, who are potentially vulnerable to Iranian retaliation.
Israeli officials have voiced hope that Biden will maintain Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign on Tehran, involving tough sanctions, until the Iranian nuclear program is dismantled.
gravenimage says
+1
Rod says
“Trump administration to designate Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis a terrorist group”
How ironic that some of Trump’s supporters have only this week, by US lawmakers, been labelled “domestic terrorists”.
But, since they aren’t Muslims, you folk can remain blithely unconcerned, alarmed only by terrorists (exclusively Muslims) on the other side of the world.
john smith says
Rod is coming out with his usual crap again.
James Lincoln says
Rod,
During the 2020 US presidential election, Pres. Trump received in excess of 74 million votes.
In your personal opinion, what percent of these Trump supporters are “domestic terrorists”?
Simple, direct question – no need to deflect.
Just a simple %…
Rod says
What percent? Probably very small, James. But I’d guess significantly larger than the percentage of the world’s nearly two billion Muslims who are terrorists.
It’s also disturbing that the number of domestically owned firearms in the USA is over 110% of the population. And the horrific percentages of gun related murders in the USA suggest that your obsessions about Muslim violence might be rather misdirected and way out of proportion.
Shouldn’t you be more concerned about US gun violence?
Simple direct question. No need to deflect.
Just a simple yes or no.
James Lincoln says
Rod,
I never said that I was not concerned about US gun violence.
In 2017, 37% of gun-related deaths in the U.S. were murders (14,542).
So yes, from *current* sheer numbers I am currently more concerned about US gun violence than US muslim violence.
That being said, I am still *very* concerned about current US muslim jihad – and even *more* concerned about what it will look like in the future. This will undoubtedly increase with the increased muslim immigration into the United States with the new Biden/Harris administration. And Biden says that muslims will be serving at every level of the US government.
Muslims bring islam, a totalitarian religious/political ideology whose goal is to impose sharia law throughout the world.
You should also be concerned – very concerned…
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/08/16/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/
Rod says
‘us muslin jihad’ sounds like it should mean something. Does it? I’ve never heard of it. I suspect it’s a little like the bogey man used to frighten naughty children.
My suggestion James was that you should be “more” concerned with a real and present crisis, taking place right under your nose, than a chimera invented to frighten you by fanatics.
14,500 murders per year means that 40 times every day, an American murders another American with a firearm.
But you’re frightened by ‘us muslim jihad’. Give it up, James. It’s a nasty habit, it makes no sense, and it’s bad for you and the rest of us.
gravenimage says
I see “Rod” is pretending that unhinged political rhetoric should be regarded uncritically as fact.
OLD GUY says
Biden and Camel will undo everything good that Trump accomplished out of spite. And with the Democrats having control of all three houses of government they won’t have much resistance. The scary part is that Biden has already said that he will open our borders to islamic migrants in the first 100 days he’s in office. With the inability to background check these migrants you know we are going to get the bad apples and criminals from these countries along with terrorist infiltrators. Common sense seems to have left our countries political leaders, our universities seem to have missed the importance of educating political science majors and law students in that area.