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(https://gcaptain.com/join-the-club/?mt_source=HambugerNavigation) Sign Up (https://gcaptain.com/?memberful_endpoint=auth) Sign In   Don’t Miss Your Daily Briefing for the Maritime Industry Join the leading maritime news network — trusted by our 107,396 members  (user)   () (Enter your email)  ()  (Subscribe)        (https://www.facebook.com/gCaptain-27223368885/) (facebook)  (https://www.instagram.com/gcaptain) (instagram)  (https://twitter.com/gCaptain) (twitter)      (U.S. Held Secret Talks With Houthis After Red Sea Offensive, Reuters Reports)  Protesters hold up rifles during a rally organized by the Houthis in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Sanaa, Yemen March 22, 2024. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah U.S. Held Secret Talks With Houthis After Red Sea Offensive, Reuters Reports (https://gcaptain.com/author/reuters/) Reuters Total Views: 304   September 16, 2026   (reuters logo)    Sept 15 (Reuters) – U.S. officials met representatives of Yemen’s (https://gcaptain.com/tag/houthi-group/) Houthis in Oman over the weekend, five sources familiar with the matter said, days after the Iran-backed militia seized a strategic stretch of the Red Sea coast in a sweeping offensive that routed Saudi-backed forces. The meeting, which has not been made public, was held at the U.S. Embassy in Muscat, three of the sources said on the condition of anonymity. Two sources said that Oman’s government, a longtime regional mediator, helped organize the meeting. The Trump administration designated the Houthis a “foreign terrorist organization” in March 2025, criminalizing support for the group. But Washington has negotiated with them since, reaching a ceasefire in May last year after bombing the group for two months to halt a campaign of attacks on Red Sea shipping. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the Houthis had phoned his administration asking the United States to keep out of the Yemen war. Vice President JD Vance said on Monday the United States was in direct contact with the group, without giving details. In the meeting, which one source said took place on Sunday, the Houthis told U.S. officials that they had no intention of attacking American vessels and that they were committed to the 2025 ceasefire with the U.S., two sources said. One of the sources, a Yemeni, said the militia group also said they would not attack Israeli ships or any commercial vessels, except those belonging to Saudi Arabia. According to two of the sources, the U.S. side was represented by embassy personnel. One of those sources said the Houthi delegation included a senior official based in Muscat who is under U.S. sanctions, Mohammad Abdulsalam. Another source confirmed Abdulsalam’s presence along with that of another senior Houthi official, Abdelmalik al-Ajiri.  Asked whether the U.S. had met with the Houthis in Oman, a State Department spokesperson did not confirm the meeting, but said safeguarding freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and preventing the export of terrorism from the Middle East were core U.S. interests. Oman’s embassy in the U.S. and senior Houthi official Abdulsalam did not respond to a request for comment. The Houthis last week seized effective control of Yemen’s entire Red Sea coastline, including the historic port of Mocha, and Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb, or “Gate of Tears” strait, at the sea’s mouth. The Houthis, who seized Yemen’s capital in 2014, have fought against a Saudi-led coalition for more than a decade. The war had quietened under a ceasefire in recent years, but fighting resumed in July when the Houthis declared a blockade on Saudi shipping in the Red Sea in response to a Saudi blockade of Yemeni ports. Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Trump last week seeking U.S. military support amid the dramatic Houthi advances. Reuters has reported that Washington told Riyadh it would not get directly involved. (Reporting by Timour Azhari in Riyadh, Alexander Cornwell in Tel Aviv and Gram Slattery in Washington; Additional reporting by Simon Lewis in Washington; Writing by Alexander Cornwell; Editing by Andrew Mills and Peter Graff) (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2026.  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Suez Canal Authority/Handout via REUTERS)    (https://gcaptain.com/category/news/) News  (https://gcaptain.com/maersk-hapag-lloyd-accelerate-return-to-suez-despite-red-sea-risks/) Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd Accelerate Return to Suez Despite Red Sea Risks  Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd are significantly expanding their return to the Suez Canal, shifting four additional Gemini Cooperation services away from the Cape of Good Hope even as the security outlook... September 14, 2026 Total Views: 1249      (https://gcaptain.com/houthi-seizure-of-mocha-opens-new-front-in-iran-u-s-war/) (Houthi stand on beach after ship attack)    (https://gcaptain.com/category/news/) News  (https://gcaptain.com/houthi-seizure-of-mocha-opens-new-front-in-iran-u-s-war/) Houthi Seizure of Mocha Opens New Front in Iran-U.S. War  Iran-aligned Houthis seized control of Yemen's port city of Mocha on Thursday and advanced down the Red Sea coast to strategic islands, military sources said, hours after President Donald Trump said he expected the Iran war to end after the U.S. midterm elections. September 10, 2026 Total Views: 1665      (https://gcaptain.com/hormuz-shipping-traffic-in-single-digits-data-shows/) (Oil tankers navigate Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Oman in Persian Gulf)    (https://gcaptain.com/category/shipping/) Shipping  (https://gcaptain.com/hormuz-shipping-traffic-in-single-digits-data-shows/) Hormuz Shipping Traffic in Single Digits, Data Shows  Vessel transits via the Strait of Hormuz fell on Wednesday to seven from 12 the previous day, preliminary ship-tracking data showed on Thursday, with levels also below the 10-day average of 14. 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