The United States government while trying to deal with the Houthi rebels in Yemen, urged Security Council members to explore their own potential terrorist designations and to provide funding for the UN Verification and Inspection Mission, a critical tool for enforcement of Security Council resolutions.
John Kelley, Acting Representative of the United States to the United Nations told the Security Council that over the past month, the Houthis, with the backing of Iran, continue to demonstrate the threat they pose to navigational rights at sea, stability in the region, and the welfare of the Yemeni people. He added that on August 31, the Houthis unlawfully detained at least 21 UN staff from their offices and homes.
Mr Kelly stated that “The United States strongly condemns these unjust detentions, and calls for the immediate and unconditional release of these UN staff, as it continues to call for the release of the staff of humanitarian organizations, the UN, and diplomatic missions unjustly detained in 2021, 2023, and 2024, as well as the crew members of the bulk carrier MC Eternity C that was sunk by Houthi rebels in the southern Red Sea on July 9, 2025, after a two-day assault using sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades. .”
Mr. Kelley noted that the Houthis detain their fellow Yemenis, harass and abuse civil society members who oppose them, and severely restrict the operating space for humanitarian activities adding that “The Houthis must be deprived of resources for their terrorist activities”.
The U.S. diplomat confirmed that the United States continues to put pressure on the Houthis to disrupt their access to funding and weapons, urging the Security Council to impose consequences on Iran which continues to defy Security Council resolutions by supplying the Houthis with military, logistical, and intelligence support, using the tools at its disposal.