Yemen’s Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, has told the EU that it doesn’t intend to target European shipping, The Financial Times has reported, as the group has maintained that its Red Sea blockade applies only to Saudi shipping.
Ansar Allah began its blockade on Saudi shipping after Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes against the Sanaa International Airport back in July, which reignited the war after a ceasefire had held relatively well since 2022.
The FT report said Ansar Allah sent the EU a letter saying its ground offensive, which has involved the group taking over the Red Sea port city of Mocha and islands in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, wouldn’t affect international shipping.
Ansar Allah has also conveyed a similar message to the US, as a US-Ansar Allah ceasefire reached in May 2025 remains in effect, something President Trump has made clear. The US president said last week that his administration is in “constant communication with the Houthis and that they have agreed not to fight the United States.”
Ansar Allah has also made clear to the US that there would be consequences if the US directly joins the Saudi war, with one official warning US “interests” would be targeted in the region in response and that the Bab el-Mandeb would be shut to US shipping.
Back in 2024, the US and the UK began a bombing campaign against Ansar Allah over its blockade on Israeli-linked shipping in the Red Sea, which was imposed in response to Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza. In response to the US-UK bombing campaign, Ansar Allah began targeting US and British-linked shipping in the region, and the US-UK strikes failed to stop the attacks.
While it hasn’t entered the current war directly, the US is still providing significant support for Saudi Arabia’s bombing campaign in Yemen. According to recent reports, up to 200 US military advisors are in Saudi Arabia providing targeting and intelligence support. The UK also announced recently that it would begin refueling Saudi warplanes, and France said it will send troops and military equipment to help “protect” the Saudi port city of Yanbu, where Ansar Allah has repeatedly targeted oil infrastructure.
