Burcu Ozcelik
President Donald Trump, in his first week in office, pledged to designate Ansarallah (“Partisans of God”), commonly known as the Houthis in Yemen, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). The decision came into effect in early March. Weeks later, on March 15, President Trump ordered large-scale air and naval strikes against dozens of targets in Yemen in areas controlled by the Iran-backed group.
By greenlighting the largest military bombardment yet in Trump’s second term, the United States has set out to meet several objectives at once: erode the Houthi’s military capability, implement “maximum pressure” against Iran’s ability to finance its proxies, and send a warning to buyers of Iran’s sanctioned crude oil, chiefly China.
The Trump administration has justified its use of lethal force against the Houthis as a necessary measure to uphold the “core principle of freedom of navigation upon which international trade and commerce depend.” However, Washington’s calculations extend beyond maritime security.
The administration has a broader geopolitical agenda—one that includes countering China’s economic leverage, particularly Beijing’s reliance on Iranian oil. By targeting the Houthis, the United States is not only safeguarding vital shipping lanes but also exerting pressure on the Iran-China energy nexus, a key component of Beijing’s strategic posture in the region.
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