Shock diplomacy: The United States is putting pressure on Iran through the shelling of the Houthis

The return of the United States to strikes against the Houthis may be aimed at exerting pressure on Iran in the framework of negotiations on a nuclear deal. After the bombing of Yemen, the Ansar Allah movement promised retaliatory attacks, and Tehran sharply condemned Washington's actions. Experts interviewed by Izvestia attributed the escalation, among other things, to the situation in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, stressed that the US authorities would not allow threats to navigation in the Red Sea. The Russian Foreign Minister believes that political dialogue and the immediate cessation of the use of force by all sides are important for finding a mutually acceptable solution. The Houthis themselves, according to media reports, believe that they reserve the right to strike back at American military bases. The information about how the situation in the region is developing can be found in the Izvestia article.

American troops resumed attacks on the Houthis

The United States has launched the first strikes against the positions of the Ansar Allah movement (Houthis) in Yemen since Donald Trump took office. As a result of the attacks, as stated by the rebels themselves, 31 people were killed, including children, and 101 more were injured. These events risk becoming a new round of escalation in the region, where the Houthis continue to attack ships in the Red Sea and threaten Israel.

The American strikes hit the capital of the country, Sanaa, as well as the regions of Saada, Al-Bayda and Rada. The Houthi-controlled Ministry of Health said that most of the victims were women and children. In response to the attack, the rebels threatened retaliation.

"These strikes will not go unanswered," the Ansar Allah politburo said, warning that the movement's armed forces were ready for further escalation.

Iran, considered the main ally of the Houthis, has already condemned the US actions. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Washington "does not have the authority to dictate its policy."

On March 15, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, during the conversation, Lavrov stressed the need for an immediate cessation of the use of force by all sides and the importance of political dialogue in order to find a mutually acceptable solution. The State Department also noted that Washington would not allow the Houthis to attack American military and commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

Since the beginning of the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in October 2023, the Houthis have consistently defended Palestine. Almost from the very first days, the movement went to war against Israel, sending several rockets and drones against it. The United States has decided to respond to the Houthi attacks on merchant ships associated with the Jewish state. In December 2023, Washington announced Operation Guardian of Prosperity, in which American and British troops began conducting regular airstrikes on the territory of Yemen.

— Of course, the situation is connected with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which led to the fact that Sanaa resumed the ban on the movement of Israeli ships and cargo. This was the direct cause of the American strikes," Sergei Serebrov, a senior researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia.

Orientalist Leonid Tsukanov also believes that the activation of the Houthis is related to the situation in the Gaza Strip.

— Earlier, the movement warned that it would carry out a naval blockade if Israel did not allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. Since it is now the most combat—ready force in the "Axis of Resistance," it is not surprising that American efforts are aimed at easing pressure on international shipping, including Israel, the expert shared with Izvestia.

Al-Akhbar sources reported on March 5 that if the United States or its allies attacked Gaza or other members of the pro-Iranian "Axis of Resistance," the Houthis could attack American military bases in the region.

Yemeni political analyst Sand al-Sayyadi, in an interview with Izvestia, noted that a possible response from Ansar Allah could be aimed at the United States.

— The reaction of the armed forces may not be limited to Israeli territory only. In the coming days, US military bases in the region may be attacked. The Ansar Allah forces are on high alert," the expert said.

The situation around shipping in the Red Sea

During the strikes, Donald Trump issued a harsh statement, warning the Houthis of the possible consequences of their attacks.

"Our brave fighters are right now conducting air attacks on terrorist bases, their leaders, and missile defenses to protect American shipping, air, and naval assets and restore freedom of navigation," he wrote on the Truth Social network.

According to a report by the US Department of Defense Intelligence Agency, in the first few months of Houthi attacks on naval vessels alone, container shipments through the Red Sea decreased by about 90%, while they usually account for about 10-15% of international maritime trade. In early March, the United States re-included the Houthi movement in the list of terrorist organizations, which effectively blocks any contacts with them by American structures. "This step closes the doors to peace and opens them to war," Mohammed al—Bukhaiti, a member of the political bureau of the Ansar Allah movement, wrote on his social network page.

Another representative of the movement, Hizam al-Assad, stressed that Yemen will take all necessary measures to protect its citizens in case of increased pressure.

According to Sergei Serebrov, the purpose of the American strikes is to continue the war in Yemen.

— Problems are not solved there, a military solution is impossible there. In 2017, the Trump administration launched a raid in Al-Bayda province against Al-Qaeda terrorists, which killed 30 civilians, and now they are attacking Al-Qaeda's enemies, the Houthis. And they started hitting them on January 12 last year," the expert told Izvestia.

He believes that the point is that the Americans will again try to bring Saudi Arabia into the game, which in 2022 set the task of ending the war in Yemen.

The attacks on the Houthis are aimed at Iran

The development of the situation in Yemen is also likely related to the diplomatic discussions surrounding the Iranian nuclear deal. The short-term demonstration of US power can be perceived as a continuation of the policy of maximum pressure on Iran, which Trump announced after returning to the White House.

The day after the strikes, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that operations against the Houthis were just the beginning of the Trump administration's strategy aimed at putting pressure on Iran.

An unnamed American official also told the Jerusalem Post newspaper that the attacks on the Houthis were sending a message to Iran amid ongoing discussions on its nuclear program. On March 7, Trump announced that he had sent a letter to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in which he noted that he would prefer to conclude a nuclear deal with Tehran. However, the American leader did not rule out a military solution to the problem. Khamenei does not yet support the idea of negotiations with the current American leadership, calling them a "deception of public opinion."

At the same time, the Iranian mission to the United Nations said on March 9 that Tehran admits the possibility of holding negotiations on its nuclear program if the purpose of the discussions is only the issue of possible militarization of the program. However, the Iranian authorities will not discuss the abolition of the peaceful nuclear program.

— The US strikes are a signal to Iran in connection with the nuclear deal. On March 14, Beijing hosted trilateral talks between China, Russia and Iran related to the Islamic Republic's nuclear program. The activation of the Houthis is due, among other things, to the fact that Washington is trying to push Tehran towards returning to the strict framework that the United States considers right, Leonid Tsukanov told Izvestia.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, at the talks in Beijing, the parties coordinated actions "aimed at reducing artificially inflamed tensions around the Iranian nuclear program from the outside," and condemned numerous violations of UN Security Council resolution 2231 by the United States and European countries.

— There is external pressure from the United States and Europe. And one of the conditions for the resumption of the deal, which is being put forward by Washington, is the refusal to support the "Axis of Resistance", which includes the Houthis, Leonid Tsukanov believes.

The Israeli factor adds to the urgency of the current situation. Several publications, including the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal, reported earlier that the Jewish state is considering launching attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities this year. Israel allegedly intends to roll back Iran's progress on its nuclear program by military action.