It could be the beginning of a rapprochement between Tehran and Washington, who are negotiating over Iran's nuclear program. On Tuesday, May 6, Oman's foreign affairs minister, Badr al-Busaidi – a key mediator in Middle Eastern conflicts – announced that a ceasefire agreement had been reached between Yemen's Houthi rebels and the United States. "They will no longer target each other," he said on the social media platform X.

The US military, allied with Israel, will cease bombings on Yemen, which had intensified since March 15, while the Houthis, backed by Iran, are to stop attacking American ships in the Red Sea. The Yemeni rebels, who control the port of Hodeida and large swathes of territory, began targeting merchant vessels they considered linked to Israel after the devastating war in Gaza initiated by Israel in retaliation for Hamas's attack on October 7, 2023. They justified their strikes as acts of solidarity with Gazans, for whom they also organized large demonstrations. In retaliation, the US had begun bombing rebel positions in Yemen in January 2024, under President Joe Biden.

You have 76.78% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.