Biden Admin Will Reverse Trump Decision to Label Iran-Backed Militia as Terrorists
Choosing to side with the United Nations instead of the Trump administration, the State Department indicated Friday that the Biden administration is in the process of removing the terrorist label from the Iran-supported Houthi militia in Yemen.
“After a comprehensive review, we can confirm that [Secretary of State Antony Blinken] intends to revoke the Foreign Terrorist Organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist designations of Ansarallah,” a State Department spokesperson said, according to Fox News. “We have formally notified Congress of the Secretary’s intent to revoke these designations and will share more details in the coming days.”
Last month, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo officially designed the Houthis as a “foreign terrorist organization” as it supported Saudi Arabia in its battle against the Houthis in Yemen.
“If Ansarallah did not behave like a terrorist organization, we would not designate it as an FTO,” Pompeo said in a statement.
“It has led a brutal campaign that has killed many people, continues to destabilize the region, and denies Yemenis a peaceful solution to the conflict in their country. Rather than distance itself from the Iranian regime, it has embraced the world’s leading state-sponsor of terrorism even more. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has supplied Ansarallah with missiles, drones, and training, allowing the group to target airports and other critical infrastructure,” he said.
“The Iranian regime continues to thwart the efforts of the United Nations and friendly countries to solve the crisis peacefully and end the conflict.”
But the United Nations disapproved, and now the Biden administration is lifting the designation.
The State Department on Friday said its action “has nothing to do with our view of the Houthis and their reprehensible conduct, including attacks against civilians and the kidnapping of American citizens,” according to Fox News.
“We are committed to helping Saudi Arabia defend its territory against further such attacks,” the spokesperson said. “Our action is due entirely to the humanitarian consequences of this last-minute designation from the prior administration, which the United Nations and humanitarian organizations have since made clear would accelerate the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.”
Some pushed back against the Biden administration’s action:
Joe Biden has ended our support against the Houthis in Yemen. Further, he removed their terrorist designation — why? Houthis are Iranian-backed terrorists who threaten the security of merchant shipping in the Bab el Mandeb strait. Biden does nothing that is good for America.
— breakdownthebill.com (@brkdwnthebill) February 6, 2021
Houthis will see & sell this as a victory from God, that they forced America to succumb to their demands effortlessly. Revoking the decision easily tells Houthis that they r free to continue their violence & will never be held accountable for their brutal ways to take power.3/5
— Nadwa Dawsari (@Ndawsari) February 6, 2021
Moving forward, Biden Admin should be cautious how to employ diplomacy. Forcing a political solution under current conditions wil only embolden Houthis & play into their hand militarily. It will not end the war & will only make matters much worse.That will be Biden’s legacy.5/5
— Nadwa Dawsari (@Ndawsari) February 6, 2021
A Saudi-led coalition has been fighting the Houthis in Yemen since 2015, according to ABC News. The war has also killed more than 112,000 people and all destroyed Yemen’s infrastructure, causing vast hunger.
Biden earlier this week pulled the plug on U.S. support for the Saudi intervention.
“This war has to end, and to underscore our commitment we are ending all American support for offensive operations in the war in Yemen, including relevant arm sales,” Biden said, according to Fox News.
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