The U.S. president ordered aid agencies to cut ties with entities that provide funding to rebel groups or oppose their efforts.

U.S. President Donald Trump has initiated a process to reclassify Yemen's Houthis as a "foreign terrorist organization," the White House said.

The executive order signed by Trump on Wednesday directs Secretary of State Marco Rubio to submit a report on the designation within 30 days after consulting with the director of national intelligence and the secretary of the Treasury.

Rubio will then have 15 days to "take all appropriate actions" regarding the designation of the rebel group, also known as Ansar Allah.

Trump's order to review the Houthis' status was essentially a formality, as a follow-up statement from the White House confirmed that Rubio, who called for the Houthis' redesignation when he was a senator, had been directed to recommend their inclusion on the list.

Trump spent the final days of his first term designating the Yemeni group as a "foreign terrorist organization" and a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" (SDGT) entity.

Former U.S. President Joe Biden's administration revoked Trump's designation weeks after taking office, with former Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying it "recognised the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen."

The Biden administration redesignated SDGT, the narrower of the two classifications, last January in response to the rebel group's repeated attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

The White House said in a statement that Biden's "weak policies" led the Houthis to fire on U.S. Navy warships dozens of times, target commercial ships more than 100 times, and attack civilian infrastructure in partner countries.

“Under President Trump, it is now U.S. policy to work with regional partners to eliminate the Houthis’ capabilities and operations and deprive them of their resources, thereby ending their attacks on U.S. personnel and civilians, U.S. partners, and maritime installations . Red Sea shipping," the White House said.

Trump's order also directs the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to "end relationships with entities that make payments to the group or oppose efforts to combat the group" while "turning a blind eye" to the group once the Houthis are put back on the list. . "Acts of Terrorism and Abuse."

Trump's order came just hours after the Houthis announced the release of the crew of the Galaxy Leader cargo ship, which was seized by an Iran-aligned group shortly after Israel's Gaza war broke out.

The group's top political council said it had approved the release of 25 sailors as part of a support deal for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that began on Sunday.