Yemen Ambassador in Washington: Government Can Defeat Houthis, Secure Shipping with U.S. Support
Yemen Monitor / Washington / Special Report:
Yemen’s ambassador to the United States, Jamila Ali Raja, said the internationally recognized Yemeni government now has the operational readiness and military capability to defeat the Houthi movement and secure international shipping routes in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait.
She called on Washington to provide direct strategic support to government forces and intensify pressure on financing and weapons-smuggling networks linked to Iran-backed Houthi forces.
In an opinion article published by The Wall Street Journal, Raja said the Bab al-Mandab Strait had become a venue for coercion by an armed militia supported and directed by Tehran. She said this had prompted global shipping companies to reroute vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, increasing insurance premiums, commodity prices and fuel costs worldwide, including in the United States.
Raja argued that the Houthis are not a legitimate governing authority and do not prioritize the future of Yemenis, describing them instead as a non-state armed actor serving as a vehicle for Iranian influence.
She pointed to what she described as the group’s record of violations, including the recruitment of thousands of children, with more than 1,800 cases documented by the United Nations, the denial of routine vaccinations to 5 million children, the laying of landmines, and the detention of more than 70 UN and aid workers as well as members of the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa. She also accused the Houthis of attacking commercial vessels and holding sailors hostage.
The ambassador rejected claims that the Yemeni government had failed, saying the internationally recognized government had taken significant steps to strengthen financial and security stability.
Those measures included transferring oversight of the banking sector to the interim capital Aden, consolidating money-transfer networks, regulating financing for essential imports, unifying intelligence agencies and establishing a dedicated counterterrorism service. She also pointed to Yemen’s participation in regional maritime-security partnerships.
Three Strategic Requests From Washington
Raja outlined three main areas in which the Yemeni government is seeking U.S. support to strengthen stability.
First, she called for tougher sanctions and legal action against shipping networks, financial intermediaries and weapons-smuggling operations supporting the Houthis.
Second, she called for increased support for the Yemeni armed forces and Coast Guard, along with greater intelligence coordination and efforts to intercept Iranian weapons shipments being smuggled into Yemen.
Third, she urged Washington to resume development and humanitarian assistance and support the government’s economic recovery programs, enabling it to fully carry out its responsibilities.
Raja concluded that a strong and stable Yemen should not be viewed as a burden on the international community but rather as a key pillar for protecting maritime security and containing Iranian expansion. She argued that lasting stability in the Middle East cannot be achieved without stability in Yemen.
The ambassador’s remarks come amid escalating military and political tensions in the region following continued maritime operations in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The Yemeni government has been stepping up diplomatic efforts to persuade U.S. policymakers and their allies that the long-term solution to maritime threats lies in restoring state authority and strengthening government forces on the ground.