Designation of Ansar Allah as a 'Foreign Terrorist Organization'; Rubio: We Will Not Tolerate Any Country's Engagement with Terrorists

The United States has designated the Yemeni militia group Ansar Allah, known as the 'Houthis', which is supported by the Islamic Republic, as a 'Foreign Terrorist Organization'. On Tuesday, March 5, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced this news in a statement, emphasizing that this action fulfills one of the first promises made by Donald Trump, the President of the United States. In Rubio's statement, referring to Executive Order 14175 of the U.S. President, the actions of the Houthis are described as threatening 'the security of American civilians and military personnel in the Middle East, the security of our closest regional partners, and the stability of global maritime trade'. The U.S. Secretary of State recalled hundreds of attacks carried out by this Iranian-backed Yemeni militia against commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, as well as against American forces active in 'defending freedom of navigation and our regional partners'. He emphasized that while the Houthis target American and allied ships, those flagged under China have remained safe from these attacks. Rubio considered this decision by the State Department as a demonstration of the Trump administration's commitment to 'protecting our national security interests, the safety of the American people, and the security of the United States'. He stressed the 'important role' of designating such groups as terrorist organizations 'in our fight against terrorism', calling this action an effective way to limit support for terrorist activities. Rubio previously noted that the Iranian regime uses any money it obtains to fund its weapons program and support terrorism, stating that if one looks at all destabilizing actions in the Middle East, one will notice the Houthis' attacks on global shipping lines, as well as attacks by Hamas, Hezbollah, and militias in Iraq against Israel and U.S. forces. Additionally, Michael Waltz, National Security Advisor to the President of the United States, stated on Friday, March 1, that the United States is tightening its grip on the economy of the Islamic Republic of Iran as part of its maximum pressure policy.