The United States' on Tuesday officially designated the terrorist group Ansarallah, commonly referred to as the Houthis, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).

President Donald Trump previously began the process of designating the Houthis as an FTO shortly after taking office in January, but the action did not become official until the U.S. State Department approved the order.

The Houthis are one of the main combatants in the ongoing Yemeni civil war and have disrupted shipping in the Red Sea amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. President Joe Biden formally removed the Houthis from the FTO list in 2023.

"Today, the State Department is fulfilling one of President Trump’s first promises upon taking office, and I’m pleased to announce the Department’s designation of Ansarallah, commonly referred to as the Houthis, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.

"As President Trump laid out in Executive Order 14175, 'the Houthis activities threaten the security of American civilians and personnel in the Middle East, the safety of our closest regional partners, and the stability of global maritime trade," he continued. 

"Separately, the United States will not tolerate any country engaging with terrorist organizations like the Houthis in the name of practicing legitimate international business," he added.

The designation marks the administration's latest attempt to stifle Iran amid a series of conflicts in the Middle East. The Houthis have largely been operating as a regional proxy for Iran, and has attacked commercial and military vessels alike.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.