Show Notes
The Houthis of Yemen are increasingly becoming a subject of major global concern. Having ramped up attacks on commercial shipping passing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, they pose a direct threat to international maritime trade and the global economy. As a vital passage supplementing the Strait of Hormuz, disruptions here risk driving global prices for oil and essential commodities significantly higher, carrying severe financial and political consequences worldwide.
Yet, the highest price of this ongoing crisis is borne by the Yemeni people. Amid 11 years of devastating civil war, an estimated 400,000 people have died from combat or famine, with thousands more forced to flee their homes as refugees. What is officially a domestic conflict between the Houthis and the Yemeni government has escalated into a broad regional war involving Saudi Arabia, backed by the United States, the UK, and Israel. With Saudi Arabia calling on the US for a renewed military campaign following a Houthi attack on Mecca, the world eagerly awaits President Donald Trump’s next move.
In a rare and exclusive interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored, senior Houthi official Nasr al-Din Amer joins Piers Morgan to address these escalating tensions, the attacks in the Red Sea, and what comes next for Yemen and the region.
Piers is then joined by Tehran University’s Professor Mohammad Marandi, Middle East Forum chief strategist Jim Hanson and military analyst and political scientist Robert Pape.
Editor's note: Nasr al-Din Amer contacted us after the broadcast to say that some of the simultaneous translation may have been abbreviated for speed. While no inaccuracies have been reported, he requests that we provide his full answer to Piers Morgan's question about Trump. We are happy to do this as a matter of journalistic record.
"That is something for him to explain, not me. But as far as we are concerned, we have reassured the entire world and stated that we are currently targeting only Saudi ships. There is no active military engagement between us and the United States at present, and we do not intend to launch any strikes against the United States as long as it does not wage war on us, because we have no confrontation with them right now.If they choose to launch airstrikes against us, they will be in a state of aggression, in a dishonorable position, and it will certainly not serve their interests. Does the world currently need a new war in the region? Does America need to expand the war in the region? This does not serve its interests.As for why he called it off, that was in his own best interest. It is far better for him, and far better for the United States, not to launch airstrikes against us, lest they become further embroiled.
They must not give in to Saudi Arabia - neither the United States nor the rest of the world. They must not succumb to Saudi demands, embroil themselves in further conflict in Yemen, and exacerbate the suffering of the Yemeni people."
(00:00.00) Introduction
(00:02:03) Naser Al-Din Amer on accusations of a Houthi attack on Mecca
(00:06:19) Houthis believe Saudi Arabia was planning a ground invasion
(00:09:16) Responding to claims of being a terrorist organisation
(00:13:08) What do the Houthis plan to do with the Bab el-Mandeb Strait
(00:20:56) What is the end game for the Houthis?
(00:26:51) Professor Marandi on the Houthis’ reluctance to admit who their allies are
30:57 Trump’s ‘annihilate Islamic republic’ UN speech
35:30 Jim Hanson argues President Trump’s plan is working
42:06 Marandi: ‘Your other guest is openly genocidal’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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