Text of Ted Cruz bill to reclassify Houthi as « terrorist »
US Senator Ted Cruz has introduced a bill to the Senate to sanction and re-list the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist militia.
On February 5, 2012, President Joe Biden’s administration announced it would lift terrorism-related sanctions against the Houthis and three of their leaders, the Texas Republican Senator’s website said: Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, Abdul-Khaliq Badr al-Din al-Houthi, and Abdullah Yahya al-Hakim.
Senator Cruz’s bill repeals a February resolution, reclassifying the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization and the group and its leaders as specially designated global terrorists.
Cruz.com published a copy of the bill, which carries members of the board who support the re-imposition of sanctions on the terrorist group.
The bill’s document states that it demands sanctions against Ansar Allah (Houthi) and its officials, agents, or affiliates; by committing acts of international terrorism.
The bill urged the designation of Houthi militias as a terrorist organization, the imposition of sanctions on any official, agent, or affiliate, and the president to send his decision to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, Abdul-Khaliq Badreddine al-Houthi, and Abdullah Yahya al-Hakim.
The bill is supported by a number of senators: Republican Tom Cotton, Republican Ben Sassi, Republican Roger Marshall, Republican Thom Tillis, Republican Bill Hagerty, Republican Jim Inhofe, Republican John Barrasso, and Republican Marco Rubio.
Introducing the bill, Senator Cruz said: « President Biden made it an urgent priority to relieve pressure on Iran and its proxies, including lifting terrorism-related sanctions on the Houthis and their leaders, a precipitous and disastrous move ».
Cruz added: « This truce predictably caused Iran to escalate its aggression throughout the region, and in Yemen the Houthis launched a large-scale offensive within hours of the Biden administration’s announcement that they would lift the sanctions. I’ve always sought to reimpose those sanctions, and it’s now clear that if the Biden administration isn’t ready to do that, Congress should charge them ».
Last week, U.S. President Joe Biden confirmed that the Houthis’ re-listing was under consideration, following a terrorist attack by the coup group against civilian facilities in Abu Dhabi that resulted in the death of three Asian nationals.
Biden’s announcement came hours after Yousef al-Otaibi, the Emirati ambassador to Washington, called on the U.S. administration and Congress to support the reclassification of Houthi militias as a foreign terrorist organization.
The terrorist attack on civilian facilities in the UAE was widely condemned and confirmed its support for the UAE in the face of such attacks.
