🔻Axios: U.S. diplomats met with Houthi representatives in Oman

Axios, citing a regional source familiar with the matter, has confirmed that American diplomats met with Houthi representatives at the U.S. embassy in Oman at the end of last week and discussed tensions in the Red Sea.

As Axios reported, the meeting took place in Muscat with the help of the Omani government and focused on maintaining the ceasefire between the U.S. and the Houthis and ensuring the Bab al-Mandeb strait remains passable.

The Houthis’ growing control over the Bab al-Mandeb strait has pushed the equations of the war in the Middle East into a new phase; the United States is trying to prevent the added issue of transit through Bab al-Mandeb from turning into a crisis in the energy market, while also avoiding entering into a joint military operation with Saudi Arabia.