US officials met representatives of Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis in Oman over the weekend, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing five sources familiar with the matter.
According to the report, the previously undisclosed meeting was held at the US Embassy in Muscat. Three sources said the talks took place at the embassy, while two said the Omani government helped arrange the meeting.
The talks came shortly after the Houthis seized control of a strategic section of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline, driving back Saudi-backed forces.
The Trump administration designated the Houthis a foreign terrorist organization in March 2025. The US nevertheless held negotiations with the group afterward, reaching a ceasefire in May 2025 following two months of US strikes intended to halt Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping.
President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the Houthis had contacted his administration and asked the US to remain outside the Yemen war. Vice President JD Vance said on Monday that Washington was in direct communication with the group but did not provide further details.
Two sources told Reuters that during the meeting, the Houthis said they did not intend to attack American vessels and remained committed to their 2025 ceasefire agreement with the US.
A Yemeni source said the Houthis also stated that they would refrain from attacking Israeli ships and other commercial vessels, with the exception of Saudi vessels.
Two sources said US Embassy personnel represented the American side in the talks.
One source said the Houthi delegation included Mohammad Abdulsalam, a senior Houthi official based in Muscat who is under US sanctions. Another source said Abdelmalik al-Ajiri, another senior Houthi official, was also present.
Asked about the reported meeting, a US State Department spokesperson did not confirm that it had taken place, but said that protecting freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and preventing the spread of terrorism from the Middle East were central US interests.
Oman’s embassy in Washington and Abdulsalam did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment.
The Houthis last week took effective control of Yemen’s entire Red Sea coastline, including the port of Mocha and Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The group seized Yemen’s capital in 2014 and has fought a Saudi-led coalition for more than a decade. Fighting had subsided during a ceasefire in recent years before renewed clashes began in July, when the Houthis announced a blockade of Saudi shipping in the Red Sea in response to a Saudi blockade of Yemeni ports.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman contacted Trump last week seeking US military assistance following the Houthi advances. Reuters previously reported that Washington told Riyadh it would not become directly involved.