博彩对冲

US President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the US would stop a nearly two-month bombing campaign of Yemen鈥檚 Houthis, claiming that the Iran-aligned group had agreed to no longer strike ships in the Red Sea.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to stop the [US] bombing of the Houthis, effective immediately,鈥� Trump said in the Oval Office during a visit by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 want to fight anymore,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淭hey have capitulated, but more importantly, we will take their word 鈥� they say they will not be blowing up ships anymore.鈥�

鈥淭his was always a freedom of navigation issue,鈥� US Secretary of State Marco Rubio added, regarding the US' recent bombing campaign. 鈥淭hese are a band of individuals with advanced weaponry that were threatening global shipping, and the job was to get that to stop 鈥� and, if it's going to stop, then we can stop."

The Houthis, officially known as Ansarullah, have launched repeated strikes on international shipping 鈥� including oil 鈥� transiting the Red Sea since the outbreak of the war in Gaza following Hamas鈥� Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, although with a pause on commercial shipping since December. Around 62% fewer tankers now transit the passageway than before the Gaza crisis, according to the International Monetary Fund's Port Watch.

While Trump's and Rubio's comments hinted at an agreed broad halt on Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, a formal statement from Oman's foreign ministry, which facilitated the ceasefire between Washington and the Houthis, used more focused language.

鈥淚n the future, neither side will target the other, including American vessels, in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, ensuring freedom of navigation and the smooth flow of international commercial shipping,鈥� the ministry statement read.

Policy observers were uncertain on Tuesday as the news broke as to how far-reaching to interpret the ceasefire, particularly as to whether Israel was included in the truce. Israel was reportedly caught by surprise by the Oval Office announcement.

The Houthis said in a statement that they would not stop striking Israel until the war in Gaza ends but would abide by a ceasefire with US forces and interests.

Nuclear Talk Backdrop

Tensions between Israel and the Houthis spiraled again this week after Israeli airstrikes targeted the Yemeni Red Sea port of Hodeidah and infrastructure near the airport in Sanaa, including power stations. Those strikes followed a hypersonic missile launched by the Houthis on Sunday that evaded multiple air defenses to land near Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. The escalation raised concerns that regional energy infrastructure and shipping lanes could again face heightened risk of being targeted.

Signaling appetite to still engage militarily with Israel, Houthi spokesperson Mohammed al-Bukhaiti wrote on X following the ceasefire announcement that the group's "military operations in support of Gaza will not cease until the aggression against Gaza stops and the blockade on its residents is lifted, allowing the entry of food, medicine, and fuel."

The US-Houthi breakthrough is nonetheless noteworthy against the backdrop of high-stakes nuclear talks between the US and Iran 鈥� mediated by Oman 鈥� and Trump's planned visit to the US' Mideast Gulf allies Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates over May 13-16.

Trump had expressed a desire to include Tehran鈥檚 support for the Houthis and other regional militant groups in those nuclear talks, threatening Iran with direct consequences if they did not rein in Houthi attacks on international shipping.

Trump has warned of military strikes against Iran if negotiations fail to produce a new nuclear deal. Last week, the US president threatened to impose sweeping secondary sanctions on buyers of Iranian crude oil.

鈥淭oday, the battle is not limited to Ansarullah and Israel or the Americans. It is also linked to the Iran nuclear negotiations and Trump鈥檚 military threats if those fail,鈥� Belgium-based political risk analyst Elijah Magnier told 博彩对冲 prior to the ceasefire announcement.

The Pentagon said last week US forces have struck more than 1,000 Houthi targets as part of a campaign that began six weeks ago and saw a major US military buildup in the region. The Houthis, in turn, have carried out strikes targeting Israel and US naval and air forces in the region, including shooting down seven US Reaper drones.

Earlier this week, Israeli announced a new "intensified" military operation in Gaza centered on holding territory that would see the population in Gaza moved "for its own protection" and humanitarian aid distributed by US military contractors. The Israeli military, which has started calling up tens of thousands of reservists, said it was "increasing the pressure" in a bid to secure the return of hostages and defeat Hamas.

The Houthis had previously warned that they would resume their attacks on Israel and international shipping in and around the Red Sea if Israel didn鈥檛 abide by the terms of the Jan. 19 Gaza ceasefire.