U.S. Senator Ted Cruz has reintroduced a bill aimed at designating the Iran-controlled Houthis, also known as Ansarallah, as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO). The proposed legislation would impose additional sanctions on the top three leaders of the Houthis, contingent upon a presidential determination of their affiliation with the group. This move comes after the Biden administration removed the FTO designation from the Houthis in 2021.
Senator Cruz stated, “The Biden administration made a day one politically-driven decision to dismantle terrorism sanctions against the Houthis and their leaders. They knew the decision was unjustified, lied about portions of it on camera to the American people, and deliberately limited access to the full announcement.” He further added that this decision enabled various hostile actions by the Houthis and expressed his belief that former President Trump would reinstate these sanctions if he were in office again.
The bill is co-sponsored by Senators Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.).
The background information provided indicates that in late 2020, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo designated both the Houthis as an FTO and specific Houthi leaders as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs), which imposed extensive sanctions on them. However, these designations were revoked by Secretary Blinken in February 2021. The lifting of these restrictions reportedly allowed financial and material support for military offensives against U.S. interests in the region.
In January 2024, following attacks in the Red Sea, Secretary Blinken redesignated the Houthis as an SDGT entity but did not restore their FTO status or re-designate individual Houthi leaders as SDGTs.
