Senate Republicans' Efforts to Reclassify 'Iran-Supported Houthis' as a Terrorist Organization

"Washington Free Beacon" has recently learned that Republicans in the U.S. Senate are moving towards legislation that would re-designate the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen as a terrorist organization. This action follows Houthi missile attacks on an American warship in the Sea of Oman, raising concerns about the dangers posed by Iran's support for its proxy groups in the region. According to the conservative American political news website, this legislation, led by Ted Cruz, a Republican senator from Texas, along with six of his Republican colleagues, will be introduced this week and will reinstate all sanctions against the Houthis along with other sanctions against Iranian-backed rebel groups that were removed from the U.S. terrorist list when Joe Biden took office in 2021. Since the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, Iranian proxy forces in the region have intensified their operations, conducting dozens of attacks on U.S. assets in the area. Cruz and other Republicans attempted to impose sanctions against the Houthis early last year, but these efforts did not pass through the Democrat-controlled body. However, given that the Iran-backed armed terrorist group is currently regularly launching ballistic missile attacks against U.S. forces, re-listing this group as a U.S. terrorist organization is likely to gain bipartisan support. Cruz stated in a statement to the Free Beacon, "The Biden administration made a political decision on day one to lift terrorism sanctions against the Houthis and their leaders. This decision was an obvious and catastrophic mistake from the start and has become clearer and more catastrophic over time." The Biden administration has faced intense pressure from Republicans to explain why it has adopted a soft approach towards the Islamic Republic following the Hamas war against Israel, which was planned with Tehran's assistance. Additionally, the Biden administration has allowed Tehran access to about $10 billion of blocked financial resources in Iraq, cash that Republican critics say "supports further violence against Israel, the United States, and our allies."