Politics

Alone and unloved, Yemen has been left to the Houthis and Iran

US President Donald Trump agreed a ceasefire in early May on the condition that the Houthis do not attack American ships. Good to their word, they are still attacking others, with no comeuppance.

Ansarullah Media Centre/AFP

Explosions on the Liberia-flagged bulk carrier Magic Seas on July 8, 2025. Houthi fighters attacked and boarded the vessel before planting explosives that were detonated remotely.

Alone and unloved, Yemen has been left to the Houthis and Iran

Anwar Al-Ansi

last update on 22 Jul 2025

The recent attacks on two ships that were then sunk by the Yemen-based Houthi movement in the Red Sea took much of the world by surprise. This is due in part to the impression given by US President Donald Trump and others was that the Houthis had taken a sizeable hit after weeks of American missile attacks, which began in earnest in March, with an Omani-facilitated ceasefire declared on 6 May. Trump said the Houthis had “capitulated” and “did not want to fight any more.”

On 6 July, the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier ‘Magic Seas’ was fired at by Houthi teams using rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), unmanned surface vehicles (USVs, a type of small boat without a crew), and ballistic and cruise missiles, approximately 94km from Yemen’s west coast as it travelled northbound towards the Red Sea. The ship’s crew were rescued by the United Arab Emirates. The Houthis later aired a video showing its fighters boarding the ship, placing explosives on it, and detonating them, causing the Chinese-built 35,800-tonne vessel to sink.

The following day, on 7 July, another Liberian-flagged, Greek owned bulk carrier named Eternity C was attacked in a similar position, around 91km from Yemen’s west coast, as it was headed northbound to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. Again, the Houthis attacked with speedboats using RPGs and USVs. The USVs hit the Eternity C’s bridge, killing four crew members. The next day, another two USVs attacked the vessel, which later sank. Nine crew members were rescued, but several others were taken hostage by the Houthis, while others remain unaccounted for.

Onwards unperturbed

These incidents, along with previous assaults, show that the international community has not yet managed to dissuade the Houthis from attacking ships headed towards the Red Sea, which they have been doing since late 2023, in solidarity with the Palestinians of Gaza. The Houthis have said that when Israel withdraws from the Strip, it will halt its attacks on ships. Efforts by the US, UK, Israel and others to attack Houthi positions have failed to establish deterrence, meaning that one of the world’s most critical maritime routes is still being held hostage by the Houthis.

In May, Trump said the Houthis had "capitulated" and "did not want to fight any more." In July, the Houthis attacked and sank another two ships

The Houthis have been backed by Iran for years and have slowly built up their capabilities, using missiles with advanced targeting mechanisms. Analysts trace the latest phase of their military build-up to December 2018 and the signing of the Stockholm Agreement, which included a ceasefire between the Houthis and the Saudi-led international coalition fighting to restore the authority of the Yemeni government. The Agreement called for the withdrawal of forces from the city of Hodeidah, and the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Issa.

AFP — This frame grab taken from handout video footage shot on July 16, 2025 shows Philippine officials welcoming seafarers from the MV Eternity C as they arrive back in Manila.

The Houthis subsequently exploited loopholes in the agreement, undermining every enforcement mechanism, especially the port inspection system in Djibouti. This mechanism was supposed to ensure that ships headed to Hodeidah were not carrying weapons, which Iran had been smuggling in under the cover of oil shipments.

Roll with the punches

Joe Biden's US administration erred when it downgraded the Houthis from a 'foreign terrorist organisation' and appointed Tim Lenderking as its Special Envoy to Yemen. The aim was to lure the Houthis into peace negotiations, but this failed to recognise that the movement is not fully autonomous. Rather, Iran makes many of its biggest decisions, just as it smuggles weapons, advanced technology, and military experts to the Houthis. A sectarian militia that rose to power in Yemen through six internal wars and a seven-year conflict involving the Arab military coalition, the Houthis have a habit of rolling with the punches, even surviving US, UK, and Israeli strikes.

In May, Oman managed to persuade Trump to halt its military campaign, in return for the Houthis agreeing to stop targeting US warships and commercial vessels, but the deal still left the movement free to attack Israel. Likewise, Israel was not included in the ceasefire and was more than happy to return the favour. As a result, the war remained active. Before long, the Houthis resumed their attacks on merchant vessels.

Trump agreed to halt its military campaign, in return for the Houthis agreeing to stop targeting US warships and commercial vessels

Washington has condemned the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea through its embassy in Yemen, saying this "demonstrates the need for continued vigilance by the UN Security Council," where the US representative has clashed with the Russian delegate over the effectiveness of the UN Mission (UNMHA) in Hodeidah, a vital deep-water port through which Yemen's desperately needed humanitarian aid enters.

America unconvinced

According to Israeli media, Tel Aviv recently urged Washington to resume its airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas, especially following the sinking of the Magic Seas and Eternity C vessels. Analysts believe the US might consider it if Western allies help share the burden, if fresh intelligence identifies viable new targets, or if the Houthis violate their 6 May agreement not to attack American ships, which they have so far stuck to.

Ansarullah Media Centre/AFP — The Magic Seas sinking, after it was attacked by Houthi fighters at sea.

To some in Yemen, this arms-length approach represents a self-serving American betrayal, effectively giving the Houthis a green light to conduct piracy on the high seas, as long as US assets are not involved. In essence, the accusation is that Trump has decided to leave Yemen to the Houthis. This may backfire, since the chaos of a security vacuum in Yemen is likely to spread to the wider region.

In other conflict hotspots such as Ukraine, Gaza, and Iran, there have been concerted international efforts to resolve disputes and end wars. In Yemen, this has been absent. The country has been sidelined, despite its direct link to the Iran-Israel war of last month, and despite the Houthi attacks on ships causing billions of dollars in extra costs, which are passed on to consumers, thereby increasing inflation.

Yemen may still appear on the map, but it appears on no-one's agenda. Isolated and adrift, with no plan for the future, entirely removed from the regional and international order, the Houthis' main sponsor—Iran—has essentially been left to shape its reality. This would seem a curious legacy for the US president, whose election campaign was at least part-built on being an Iran hawk. On Yemen, he is now more of a deaf-mute.

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