U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, expressed his views following the Biden administration’s decision to redesignate the Houthi rebels as a “specially-designated global terrorist group.” The Houthis were previously designated both as a “specially-designated global terrorist group” and a “Foreign Terrorist Organization” by the Trump administration. However, these designations were reversed by President Biden in February 2021.
Senator Sullivan has been advocating for over a year for these re-designations along with other measures aimed at deterring Iran and its affiliates. He stated, “For over a year, I’ve been pressing the Biden administration to reestablish deterrence with regard to Iran and its terrorist proxies strategically across a number of fronts, including re-designating the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).”
Sullivan further commented on the recent designation: “The designation of the Houthis today as a ‘specially-designated global terrorist group’ is a step forward, but it doesn’t go far enough—specifically, the FTO designation—and it took far too long.” He urged for stronger actions against Iran and its proxies to protect American service members and allies.
In recent months, Houthi forces have launched missiles and drones targeting military and commercial vessels in the Red Sea, affecting trade routes significantly.
