Trump Halts Yemen Bombings as Oman Brokers US-Houthi Ceasefire: Red Sea Tensions Ease Amid Diplomatic Shift
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the United States would immediately halt its air campaign in Yemen after a ceasefire was brokered between Washington and the Houthi movement by Oman. The move signals a major de-escalation in the Red Sea, where Houthi attacks on shipping had threatened global commerce and pulled the US into daily strikes.
“The Houthis have announced to us that they don’t want to fight anymore,” Trump told reporters at the White House during a joint appearance with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. “They just don’t want to fight, and we will honor that.” Trump claimed the Houthis had “capitulated” and pledged to stop targeting international shipping.
Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi confirmed the breakthrough, posting on X that Muscat’s mediation had resulted in a ceasefire agreement ensuring that neither side would target the other, including in the Bab al-Mandab Strait. “This guarantees freedom of navigation and international commercial flow,” he added.
The US State Department clarified that the agreement covers Houthi operations in Yemeni waters and against American interests, but does not extend to the group’s confrontation with Israel. The Houthis, aligned with Iran and entrenched in northern Yemen, began attacking Red Sea shipping in late 2023, linking their operations to solidarity with Palestinians amid the war in Gaza.
Senior Houthi leader Mohammed Ali al-Houthi responded cautiously, writing on X that Trump’s words would be “evaluated on the ground first,” and reaffirmed the group’s stance that its operations are tied to Israel’s actions in Gaza.
This diplomatic pause comes just hours after Israel struck Yemen’s Sanaa airport and the vital port city of Hodeidah, following a Houthi missile strike near Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport. The Israeli military accused the Houthis of direct involvement in war against the Jewish state, raising fears of a broader regional explosion.
Behind the scenes, sources suggest Iran may have helped influence the Houthi de-escalation, possibly as part of broader US-Iran nuclear talks where sanctions relief is being discussed in exchange for curbs on Iran’s nuclear program.
As one analyst put it: “This isn’t just a ceasefire in Yemen. It’s a pressure valve release in the entire Gulf security architecture.”
What remains uncertain is whether the Houthis will halt attacks on Israel and whether Israel itself will respect the US-Houthi ceasefire framework. For now, though, the airstrikes pause—and diplomacy takes a tentative step forward.
