The Houthis Claim They Will Target U.S. Ships if Iran is Attacked. It's Worth Taking Note.
Yemen's Houthi rebels have signaled an end to their ceasefire, threatening "imminent" strikes on U.S. warships in the Red Sea. As the Oman nuclear talks loom, the Iran-backed group warns of a regional explosion if Washington attacks Tehran.
The fragile maritime ceasefire in the Middle East is on the verge of collapse as Houthi leadership in Yemen issued a final warning to the United States. Following the arrival of a massive U.S. naval armada in the Arabian Sea, Houthi military officials declared they are prepared to resume missile and drone strikes against American warships and commercial shipping lanes if President Trump authorizes strikes on Iranian territory.
On Monday, the Houthi Ansarullah Media Center released a propaganda video featuring images of burning oil tankers overlaid with the single word: Soon. While a bilateral ceasefire between the U.S. and the Houthis has been in place since May 2025, the group’s spokesperson warned that their Holy Jihad would be reactivated the moment a single U.S. missile touches Iranian soil.
Military analysts suggest the Houthis are coordinating with other Axis of Resistance members, including Iraq’s Kata'ib Hezbollah, to create a multi-front war. Kata'ib Hezbollah leader Ahmad al-Hamidawi echoed the threat, stating that any U.S. offensive would result in a total war where nothing will remain of the American presence in the region.
The timing of the Houthi mobilization is widely seen as a tactic to provide Iran with leverage ahead of the (Friday) February 6 summit in Muscat. By threatening the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a chokepoint through which 12% of global trade passes, the Houthis aim to deter the U.S. from using its 'Maximum Pressure' military assets during negotiations.
Key details of the current standoff:
The renewed threats have sent shockwaves through the global shipping industry. After a period of relative stability following the October 2025 Gaza peace plan, major carriers like Maersk are reportedly reconsidering the Cape of Good Hope route to avoid the risk of being caught in a crossfire between U.S. destroyers and Houthi coastal batteries.
While the Sultanate of Oman continues to push for de-escalation, the presence of the Dark Armada and the Houthi counter-threats have turned the upcoming Muscat talks into a race against a regional explosion.