WASHINGTON: The United States is reviewing “potential terrorist designations” for Yemen’s Houthi rebel group in response to its seizure of a cargo ship, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Tuesday.
Kirby’s comment was significant because one of the Biden administration’s first acts after taking office in January 2021 was revoking terrorist designations of the Houthis over fears the sanctions they carried could worsen Yemen’s humanitarian crisis.
Kirby called the Houthis’ seizure of the Galaxy Leader cargo ship on Sunday in the southern Red Sea a “flagrant violation of international law” in which “Iran is complicit.”
“In light of this, we have begun a review of potential terrorist designations and we will be considering other options as well with our allies and partners as well,” Kirby said at a White House press briefing. He called for the immediate release of the ship and its international crew.
The Bahamas-flagged car carrier is chartered by Japan’s Nippon Yusen. It is owned by a firm registered under Isle of Man-headquartered Ray Car Carriers, which is a unit of Tel Aviv-incorporated Ray Shipping, according to LSEG data.
Iran has denied involvement in the seizure of the ship, which the car carrier’s owner on Monday said was taken to the Houthi-controlled southern Yemen port of Hodeidah.
The Trump administration blacklisted the Houthis a day before its term ended, prompting the United Nations, aid groups and some US lawmakers to express fears that sanctions would disrupt flows of food, fuel and other commodities into Yemen.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Feb. 12, 2021, revoked the designations in “recognition of the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen.”
The country remains the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with some 21.6 million people — about two-thirds of the population — dependent on aid, according to the United Nations