Biden Says US Is Considering Reinstating Terrorist Designation of Houthis

President Joe Biden said that the United States is considering reinstating its designation of the Iran-backed Houthi movement as a terrorist organization in the wake of deadly drone and missile attacks on the United Arab Emirates. Biden made the comment during a wide-ranging, two-hour-long news conference on Wednesday. The comments come after reports that UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed asked US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to reinstate the terrorist designation on the Houthi rebels during a phone call just hours after a strike on Abu Dhabi earlier this week that left three dead. Earlier this month the Houthis seized a UAE-flagged cargo ship that the Saudi says is carrying medical supplies, and that the rebels continue to hold along with its 11-member crew. UAE Ambassador to the US Yousef Al Otaiba earlier on Wednesday also urged the Biden administration to restore the terrorist designation in response to the Houthi strikes. Biden also told reporters on Wednesday that “it’s going to be very difficult” to end the years-long conflict between the Houthis and the Saudi-led military coalition that backs Yemen’s internationally recognized government. The UAE Embassy in Washington said in a tweet that it “welcomes” Biden’s comments on reconsidering the designation. Biden also said during the news conference that there is some progress being made on nuclear talks with Iran, and that “it’s not time to give up.” Biden said that the world powers conducting the current negotiations on reviving the 2015 nuclear agreement that would see Iran roll back its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief are all “on the same page.”