US officials held a previously undisclosed meeting with representatives of Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement in Oman over the weekend, days after the group launched a sweeping offensive that seized a strategic stretch of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and routed Saudi-backed forces, five sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The meeting, held at the US Embassy in Muscat, was confirmed by three of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity to the news agency. Two sources said Oman, which has long played a mediating role in the region, helped facilitate the talks.
The discussions came as Saudi Arabia sought US military support to counter the rapid Houthi advance inside Yemen. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, called US President Donald Trump last week to seek military assistance, but Washington subsequently informed Riyadh that it would not intervene directly, Reuters has reported.
The US decision comes despite the Trump administration having designated the Houthis a “foreign terrorist organisation” in March 2025, criminalising support for the group. Washington has, however, maintained direct engagement with the Houthis since then.
The two sides reached a ceasefire in May 2025 after a two-month US bombing campaign aimed at stopping Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
Houthis reassure US, Israel
During the latest meeting, the Houthis reportedly reassured US officials that the 2025 ceasefire remained in place and that they had no intention of targeting American vessels in the Red Sea. Two sources said the group also indicated that it would not attack Israeli ships or commercial vessels, with the exception of Saudi-linked shipping.
One Yemeni source said the Houthis maintained that only Saudi-linked shipping was regarded as a target owing to its blockade of Yemen.
The talks came days after Trump said the Houthis had contacted his administration and asked Washington to stay out of the Yemen conflict. Vice President JD Vance separately confirmed on Monday that the US was in direct contact with the group, without providing further details.
One source said the latest meeting took place on Sunday. According to two sources, the US delegation consisted of personnel from the American embassy in Muscat.
When officials from the US met Houthi leaders over the weekend at the country’s embassy in Muscat, it led to Washington’s decision not to intervene to help Saudi Arabia drive back a Houthi advance inside Yemen.
The incident comes amid a wider escalation involving the Houthis and Saudi Arabia.