Saudi Arabia presses EU to designate Houthis as terrorist organization

Riyadh is seeking to persuade the European Union to add the Houthi group to its terrorism list, but most member states remain unconvinced, Reuters reported, citing six European officials. The decision requires the unanimous support of all 27 member states.

Saudi Arabia is pressing the European Union to designate Yemen’s Houthi group as a terrorist organization, but most member states remain unconvinced by the move, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing six European officials.

According to the agency, Saudi efforts have so far failed to dispel European concerns that the designation could close limited channels of communication with the group and weaken any future peace process in Yemen. The listing requires the approval of all 27 member states, while one official said only a few countries support the move, without naming them because the talks are not public.

Existing sanctions and U.S. designation

The European Union already bans arms supplies to the Houthis and has frozen the assets of 12 of their leaders. It has also listed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, but has not listed the group itself. The United States, by contrast, designated the Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, as a foreign terrorist organization in March 2025, while Australia and Canada took similar steps. The European Parliament adopted a symbolic resolution last month calling on the EU to add the group to its terrorism list.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas during an official visit in 2026

The Saudi government communications office did not respond to a request for comment, while Anouar El Anouni, the European foreign policy spokesman, said the EU remains in regular contact with Riyadh but declined to comment on any specific talks. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas had announced the bloc’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia after a deadly Houthi missile attack targeted King Khalid Airport in Riyadh in October.

Concerns over shipping and aid

Joanna de Dios Pereira, a researcher at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), said European governments want to show solidarity with Saudi Arabia but remain hesitant, arguing that the designation would have limited practical impact. She pointed to the possibility that the Houthis could attack European vessels near Yemen and to difficulties aid organizations could face in areas under the group’s control. Officials added that reversing the designation later would be difficult because it would also require unanimity.

The Houthis have carried out near-daily attacks on Saudi Arabia for weeks since the war resumed, following the collapse of a 2022 truce last July, when the group accused Riyadh of bombing Sanaa airport. Yemen’s coast overlooks the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects Europe with Asia, and officials have warned that Houthi attacks there could further disrupt shipping.

Images: Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Commission

Saudi Arabia presses EU to designate Houthis as terrorist organization