The Trump administration is preparing to initiate direct talks with Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen in an effort to end the four-year-old war, a conflict that has become a volatile front line in the conflict with Tehran, according to people familiar with the plans.
The move could open the first significant channel between the Trump administration and the Houthis at a time when fears of a broader regional war are growing.
The conflict in Yemen has metastasized from a troubling regional civil war into a volatile international fight pitting Iran-backed Houthi forces against a Saudi-led military coalition supported by the U.S. The Trump administration views Houthi forces as Iran proxies and says Tehran should be held directly responsible for the routine rocket and drone attacks that Yemeni fighters carry out against Saudi Arabia.
The U.A.E.'s withdrawal and fighting in Aden have fueled new efforts by the U.S. to gain momentum for diplomacy, including the evolving plans to talk directly to the Houthis.
The U.S. talks would be led by Christopher Henzel, a veteran diplomat who became the Trump administration's first ambassador to Yemen in April, according to people familiar with the plans.
A State Department official said the U.S. wouldn't discuss private diplomatic talks, but added that "The U.S. ambassador to Yemen talks to all Yemenis to further U.S. objectives in the country."
One U.S. official familiar with the matter said the planned backchannel talks reflect a lack of viable military options available to the Saudi-led alliance in Yemen.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-plans-to-open-direct-talks-with-iran-backed-houthis-in-yemen-11566898204?mod=hp_lead_pos2
The move could open the first significant channel between the Trump administration and the Houthis at a time when fears of a broader regional war are growing.
The conflict in Yemen has metastasized from a troubling regional civil war into a volatile international fight pitting Iran-backed Houthi forces against a Saudi-led military coalition supported by the U.S. The Trump administration views Houthi forces as Iran proxies and says Tehran should be held directly responsible for the routine rocket and drone attacks that Yemeni fighters carry out against Saudi Arabia.
The U.A.E.'s withdrawal and fighting in Aden have fueled new efforts by the U.S. to gain momentum for diplomacy, including the evolving plans to talk directly to the Houthis.
The U.S. talks would be led by Christopher Henzel, a veteran diplomat who became the Trump administration's first ambassador to Yemen in April, according to people familiar with the plans.
A State Department official said the U.S. wouldn't discuss private diplomatic talks, but added that "The U.S. ambassador to Yemen talks to all Yemenis to further U.S. objectives in the country."
One U.S. official familiar with the matter said the planned backchannel talks reflect a lack of viable military options available to the Saudi-led alliance in Yemen.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-plans-to-open-direct-talks-with-iran-backed-houthis-in-yemen-11566898204?mod=hp_lead_pos2
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