US hits out Yemen’s Houthis, blasts Iran for impeding ceasefire efforts

US Special Envoy on Yemen Tim Lenderking said Wednesday that the behavior of the Iran-backed Houthis showed they were not devoted to the interests of the Yemeni people.

Lenderking also hit out at Iran for not working to find a solution to the yearslong war in Yemen. “The Iranians should not get a free pass here; what they are doing is negative,” Lenderking said.

Speaking during a congressional hearing in Washington, Lenderking said that “Iranian support [for the Houthis] is quite significant, and it’s lethal.”

Asked what could be done to push back against Iran and the Houthis, the veteran diplomat suggested “naming and shaming” those who continue to provide weapons for continued attacks on civilians, including attacks launched by the Houthis against Saudi Arabia.

According to Lenderking, the Houthis have conducted 150 attacks against Saudi Arabia this year.

Lenderking voiced concern over the behavior of the Houthis. “We are very concerned over the way Houthis govern; many of their tactics are undemocratic,” he said, pointing to the “harassment of aid workers and blockage of aid workers being able to carry out their projects and works.”

“All of this does not sound to me like a government that is devoted or committed to the Yemeni people,” he added.

Lenderking said fuel shipments were making their way through Yemen, but noted that the Houthis were running a black market and pushing up fuel prices.