Oman announced that it had mediated a ceasefire between the United States and Yemen's Houthis, a shift after weeks of intensified American strikes. Under Oman's description of the agreement, neither side would target the other, including U.S. ships in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
President Donald Trump said Washington would stop bombing the Houthis immediately because the group had agreed to stop attacking important shipping lanes. He said the United States would accept their commitment not to strike ships. Later that day, Trump said action was stopping on both sides.
The operational transition was not instantaneous. Multiple U.S. defense officials told NBC News that military activity continued for hours after Trump's first announcement because an order to halt operations had not yet reached forces. Trump later acknowledged that some personnel might not yet have received the instruction. The delay highlighted the difference between a political declaration and its implementation across an active campaign.
Oman's statement did not include Houthi attacks on Israel. Asked about reports that the group intended to keep striking Israel, Trump said his understanding concerned the Houthis' dealings with the United States. He did not specify in advance how Washington would respond if Israel were attacked. The agreement therefore addressed U.S.-Houthi hostilities and American-linked shipping, rather than establishing a broader regional ceasefire.
The Houthis had attacked vessels in and around the Red Sea after the Gaza war began, saying they were acting in support of Palestinians. The route carries about 15 percent of global shipping traffic, according to NBC News. The United States and Britain had conducted retaliatory strikes under the Biden administration, and Trump intensified the campaign after returning to office.
The announced halt consequently depended on both diplomatic terms and the transmission of commands. Oman's formulation set the reciprocal obligation, while Trump's later statement indicated that implementation was catching up with the decision.\n\nThe current U.S. operation, called Operation Rough Rider, began on March 15. The U.S. military said it had struck more than 1,000 targets and killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and several leaders. Rights advocates raised concerns about civilian deaths during the campaign. A suspected U.S. strike on a migrant center on April 28 killed 68 people, according to Houthi television.
Separate Houthi-Israel fighting remained outside the declared arrangement. A Houthi missile had landed near Israel's Ben Gurion Airport days earlier, followed by Israeli strikes on Yemen's Hodeidah port and Sanaa's main airport. Oman's mediation paused one channel of the conflict, but it did not resolve those parallel hostilities.
