The United States designation of the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) took effect on March 4. This move comes after years of fruitless diplomatic efforts where international institutions treated the Houthis as legitimate partners at the negotiating table, only to be outplayed at every step. Throughout this time, the Iran-backed Houthis not only cemented their alliance with Tehran, but also expanded their war to the Red Sea and Israel continuing to pose a threat on vessels in the Red Sea. This geopolitical confidence and expansion of their military arsenal couldn’t have occurred without help from a crucial yet underestimated player: Russia.
Mohammad Abdulsalam, the chief Houthi spokesperson once courted by Western diplomats as a potential peace negotiator, was one of the seven individuals the US designated, along with six other high-ranking Houthi leaders. Abdulsalam has been quietly traveling to Moscow in his capacity as a spokesperson for the Houthi militia and under the guise of his position as a mediator for Yemen’s conflict, strengthening a relationship that benefits both the Houthis and the Kremlin.
The US sanctions specifically focus on individuals involved in weapons procurement and smuggling operations, directly addressing the group’s regionally threatening military capabilities. The targeting of Moscow-linked Houthi figures is the clearest indication yet that the group’s relationship with Russia is no longer just a matter of convenience but a calculated military alliance. These sanctions expose a supply chain of instability through a transnational weapons pipeline linking Tehran, Sanaa, and Moscow in a web of illicit arms transfers that goes beyond the Houthis’ ideological fanfare or mere opportunism.
I was not aware of this, but it would seem obvious now that I have the information.
I almost wouldn't bother posting on this, except that it reveals something important about Trump's strategy vis a vis Putin.
Trump is also using Oil and Gas to hedge Putin:
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the United States can do "devastating" things to Russia's economy to put pressure on Moscow to accept a peace deal with Ukraine.
But there's a limit to what Trump can do to try and bend Russia to his will, analysts who spoke to Newsweek said, given that Russian President Vladimir Putin has waged war on Ukraine for three years despite facing heavy economic sanctions from the West through it all. P
utin's response Thursday to a 30-day ceasefire proposal proved Russia won't be easily pushed around, as he made clear he was open to a deal only if it includes conditions that will be difficult for Kyiv to accept.
Perhaps Trump's best available option to pressure Moscow is the one thing he might be least willing to do, experts said: put a much tighter squeeze on Russia's oil and gas exports, which provide Russia with its main source of revenue and help pay for the war in Ukraine.
Trump - in his usual 3D chess strategy - has chosen to talk softly with Putin in public, and to carry a HUGE stick on the other two main chess boards which the public are not paying attention to.
Trump is being very careful not to show up Putin, or overtly insult him, even as Putin has spent the past few years threatening to use Nuclear weapons.
Compare Trump's subtle communications strategy with Putin vs Kennedy's overt brinksmanship with Kruschev
I had been very concerned about Trump's ingratiating tone with Putin.
Now I know he had been right all along.
OH AND BY THE WAY:
Yemen’s Houthis Retaliate with Massive Attack on US Aircraft Carrier USS Harry Truman with 18 Ballistic Missiles and Drone — Vow to Target All U.S. Warships in Red Sea and Arabian Sea
No comments:
Post a Comment