Meeting reportedly took place despite Washington designating Iran-backed group a ‘foreign terrorist organization’; Houthi delegation said to include sanctioned senior official.
US officials met representatives of Yemen’s Houthis in Oman over the weekend, five sources familiar with the matter said Wednesday, days after the Iran-backed militia seized a strategic stretch of the Red Sea coast in a sweeping offensive that routed Saudi-backed forces.
News of the meeting came as renewed fighting between a Saudi-led coalition and the Iran-backed Houthis continued, along with condemnations of an alleged Houthi strike targeting the Muslim holy city of Mecca.
The meeting, which had not previously been made public, was held at the US Embassy in Muscat, three of the sources said on the condition of anonymity. Two sources said that Oman’s government, a longtime regional mediator, helped organize the meeting. (Read More)
