Donald Trump announces halt in Houthi ship attacks, US ceases bombing in Yemen

Trump declined to specify beyond saying he had heard about the Houthi position from “a very good source.”

President Donald Trump said the US would cease bombing the Houthi rebels in Yemen, after he said the group indicated to his administration that they would cease attacks on ships in the Red Sea.

Trump has said he wants an agreement that curbs Iran’s nuclear program and prevents it from making an atomic weapon.(AP)

“They just don’t want to fight,” Trump said. “And we will honor that, and we will stop the bombings, and they have capitulated.”

It’s unclear how or when the Houthis, who have given no public indication they’re stopping their shipping assaults, communicated a message to Trump. Asked directly, Trump declined to specify beyond saying he had heard about the Houthi position from “a very good source.”

“They don’t want to be bombed anymore,” he said.

Trump nonetheless said he would take the group, designated by a terrorist organization by the US, at its word that “they will not be blowing up ships anymore” and cast the development as “very positive.”

West Texas Intermediate rose to a session high on Trump’s comments.

Trump restarted US bombing against the Houthis in mid-March, saying he wanted to stop them attacking commercial vessels and warships in the southern Red Sea, a key waterway for global trade.

The Iran-backed group took control of large swaths of Yemen over the past decade and has been attacking ships off its cost since 2023, disrupting global commerce and prompting waves of retaliatory strikes by the US and its allies.

Earlier this week, the Houthis launched a missile that landed close to Tel Aviv, prompting the Israel Defense Forces to respond with an attack on several power stations and a cement plant in the Yemeni city of Sanaa.

The purported pause in fighting comes as the White House is seeking to broker a nuclear deal with Tehran. Iranian and US officials are set to meet in Oman this weekend for a fourth round of those talks, according to Iranian media.

The discussions are scheduled for May 11 in Muscat, state-run Nour News reported Tuesday, citing an official familiar with the matter.

Trump has said he wants an agreement that curbs Iran’s nuclear program and prevents it from making an atomic weapon. He’s threatened to use military action against the country if it doesn’t accept a deal.