White House to Voice of America: Reports on Houthis possessing hypersonic missiles are incorrect

John Kirby, the White House National Security Council communications advisor, rejected a report from the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti on Thursday, March 15, claiming that the Iran-backed Houthis are equipped with hypersonic missiles. In response to a question from the Persian section of Voice of America, Kirby stated, "Those reports are incorrect. There is absolutely no indication that the Houthis have access to hypersonic weapons." This unsubstantiated report from the Russian state news agency cited an unnamed official close to the Houthis, while the Houthi rebels have recently spoken multiple times about unveiling a new "surprise" to fight against the U.S. and its allies in the region's waters. Hypersonic weapons, or "super speed" weapons, are defined as weapons capable of traveling at speeds of 5 to 25 times the speed of sound (approximately 1.6 to 8 kilometers per second). In the RIA Novosti report, the official claimed that the Houthis successfully tested a missile that operates on solid fuel and can reach speeds of eight Mach (eight times the speed of sound). He further claimed that the Houthis intend to produce this missile for use in attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as well as against Israel. The Islamic Republic, as the main arms supporter of the Houthi rebels, claimed in June of this year to have unveiled its first hypersonic missile called "Fattah." Although the Iranian government denies providing arms to the Houthis, the U.S. and its allies have repeatedly intercepted shipments of Iranian weapons and ammunition en route to Yemen. The Associated Press quoted Fabian Hinz, a researcher and missile specialist at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, stating that the potential transfer of hypersonic and supersonic weapons from Iran to the Houthis would not surprise him. According to this missile expert, the main issue is the maneuverability of these missiles at high speeds and their capability to strike moving targets. Mr. Hinz suggested that the Islamic Republic may send new weapons for testing to the Houthis. The Houthi militants in Yemen, supported by the Islamic Republic, have repeatedly attacked international commercial vessels in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea with missiles and drones since early November, under the pretext of supporting the Palestinians. Many of these attacks have been neutralized by U.S. forces or the coalition, and numerous of their bases inside Yemen have been targeted by independent or joint attacks from the U.S. military and other U.S. allies. Nevertheless, the acquisition of hypersonic missiles by this group would pose a significant challenge to U.S. and allied air defense systems in the region. The Biden administration, which had removed the Houthis from the list of terrorist organizations shortly after taking office in January 2021, placed the group back on the list of "specially designated global terrorists" on February 16, 2024.