Newly confirmed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken concludes his first press briefing at the State Department in Washington, US, January 27, 2021. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria/Pool

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday announced that he will revoke, effective Feb. 16, designations of Yemen‘s Houthi movement as a foreign terrorist organization and a specially designated global terrorist group.

Blinken said in a statement that the United States would “closely monitor” Houthi activities and is “actively identifying” new sanctions targets, especially those responsible for attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and missile strikes on Saudi Arabia.

“We remain committed to helping US partners in the Gulf defend themselves, including against threats arising from Yemen, many of which are carried out with the support of Iran,” the statement said. “We reaffirm our strong belief that there is no military solution to this conflict.”