In the years after the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, Yemen became a key site for U.S. intelligence gathering and drone attacks on Al-Qaeda."Regime collapse threatens Yemen's key role in US counter-terrorism strategy," The Guardian, 23 January 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2015. According to the 2012 U.S. Global Leadership Report, 18% of Yemenis approved of U.S. leadership, with 59% disapproving and 23% uncertain.U.S. Global Leadership Project Report - 2012 Gallup According to a February 2015 report from the Congressional Research Service, U.S. officials considered Al-Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula the Al-Qaeda affiliate "most likely to attempt transnational attacks against the United States."(11 February 2015), Jeremy Sharp, Yemen: Background and US Relations, p. 8.
Yemen is a top country for humanitarian aid from the United States with US$4 billion provided since 2014.
Historical relations
20th century
The United States established diplomatic relations with the Imamate in 1947. A resident legation, later elevated to embassy status, was opened in Taiz (the capital at the time) on March 16, 1959, and moved to Sana'a in 1966. The United States was one of the first countries to recognize the Yemen Arab Republic, doing so on December 19, 1962. A major US Agency for International Development (USAID) program constructed the Mocha-Taiz-Sana'a highway and the Kennedy memorial water project in Taiz, as well as many smaller projects. On June 6, 1967, the YAR, under Egyptian influence, broke diplomatic relations with the United States in the wake of the Arab-Israeli conflict of that year. Secretary of State William P. Rogers restored relations following a visit to Sana'a in July 1972, and a new USAID agreement was concluded in 1973.Background note: Yemen. US Department of State (December 2007). .
On December 7, 1967, the United States recognized the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen and elevated its Consulate General in Aden to embassy status. However, relations were strained. The PDRY was placed on the list of nations that support terrorism. On October 24, 1969, south Yemen formally broke diplomatic relations with the United States. The United States and the PDRY reestablished diplomatic relations on April 30, 1990, only 3 weeks before the announcement of unification. However, the embassy in Aden, which closed in 1969, was never reopened, and the PDRY as a political entity no longer exists.
During a 1979 border conflict between the Yemen Arab Republic and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, the United States cooperated with Saudi Arabia to greatly expand the security assistance program to the YAR by providing F-5 aircraft, tanks, vehicles and training. George H. W. Bush, while Vice President, visited in April 1986, and President Ali Abdullah Saleh visited the United States in January 1990. The United States had a $42 million USAID program in 1990. From 1973 to 1990, the United States provided the YAR with assistance in the agriculture, education, and health and water sectors. Many Yemenis were sent on US government scholarships to study in the region and in the United States. There was a Peace Corps program with about 50 volunteers. The US Information Service operated an English-language institute in Sana'a.
The United States cancelled its economic aid to Yemen following Yemen's "No" vote on United Nations Security Council Resolution 678, the 1990 authorization for the Gulf War. United States diplomats informed Yemeni officials, "That was the most expensive no vote you ever cast."New York Times, 2 December 1990 "Mideast Tensions: How U.S. Won Support to Use Mideast Forces The Iraq Resolution: A U.S.-Soviet Collaboration"
21st century
In November 2001, two months after Al-Qaeda's terrorist attacks on the United States, Yemen's then-President Saleh visited Washington, D.C., and Yemen subsequently increased its counter-terrorism cooperation efforts with the United States. President Saleh returned to Washington, D.C., in June 2004 when he was invited to attend the G8 Sea Island Summit and agreed to participate in future activities detailed in the Sea Island charter. In November 2005 and May 2007, President Saleh again visited high-level officials in Washington, D.C., including President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
The U.S. Agency for International Development program in Yemen had ended in September 2000, but it was reinvigorated in 2003 and a USAID office reopened in Sana'a. Yemen also received significant funding from the Middle East Partnership Initiative. Funds primarily supported literacy projects, election monitoring, training for civil society, and the improvement of electoral procedures. In 2006, the U.S. Department of Agriculture provided 30,000 metric tons of soybean meal that were sold for approximately $7.5 million to finance programs in support of Yemen's agricultural sector.
Defense relations between Yemen and the United States improved rapidly, with the resumption of International Military Education and Training assistance and the transfer of military equipment and spare parts. In the fiscal year 2006, U.S. Foreign Military Financing (FMF) for Yemen was $8.42 million, International Military Education and Training (IMET) was $924,000, and Non-Proliferation, Anti-Terrorism, Demining and Related Programs (NADR) was $1.4 million. In FY 2006 Yemen also received $7.9 million in Economic Support Funds (ESF), $10 million in Food for Progress (Title 1) assistance, and $5 million in funding for counter-terrorism support."FY06 FMF Funding Estimates: $8,415,000" , Section 1206 Security Assistance Program
On July 29, 2011, responding to violent protests in Yemen, the World Bank suspended the disbursement of funds that had been promised by international donors at a conference in 2006. Under a Gulf Cooperation Council plan supported by the U.S., then-President Saleh agreed to a transition plan, and a new president, Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi, was elected February 2012.Foreign & Commonwealth Office, "Peace and Stability in the Middle East and North Africa: Political Change in Yemen". 12 December 2012. In May 2012, President Obama issued an executive order giving the Treasury Department authority to freeze the U.S.-based assets of anyone who "obstructs" implementation of the administration-backed political transition in Yemen.
Political relations
US support for Saudi-operations in Yemen
Yemenis in Guantanamo Bay
As of November 2008, 101 Yemeni prisoners were still being held at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Among this group, four men have been charged; two have been convicted in military commissions and two are charged with war crimes for participation in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. According to one report, "The remaining 97 are an eclectic group of intentional unrepentant combatants and accidental warriors.... Yet separating the detainees into two groups and determining where different individuals fall on a spectrum of past and potential violence is a nearly impossible task." In December, Salim Hamdan, who was convicted in August of aiding Al Qaeda and sentenced to five and one-half years in prison, was released and handed over to the Yemeni authorities. He was returned to Yemen and subsequently released after serving the remainder of his sentence. Among those held at Guantanamo who have not been charged are the brother of the deputy commander of Al Qaeda in Yemen. What to do with the remaining Yemeni prisoners is a subject of debate within the United States government. The Yemeni government has often not kept known terrorists incarcerated, as President Saleh has instead opted to negotiate with hardened militants in order to use them against more lethal Jihadists or to secure pacts of non-belligerence from Al Qaeda affiliates.
On January 22, 2009, President Obama signed a series of executive orders to close the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. With Yemenis composing nearly 40% of the remaining prison population, U.S. policymakers will now be tasked with reviewing their individual cases. According to initial reports, "listed options include repatriation to their home nations or a willing third country, civil trials in this country, or a special civil or military system."
The Yemeni government pressed U.S. officials to fund a rehabilitation program for prisoners, similar to a Saudi Arabian government program that uses clerics and social support networks to de-radicalize and monitor prisoners. Between 2002 and 2005, Yemeni Religious Affairs Minister and Supreme Court Justice Hamoud al-Hittar ran an unsuccessful "dialogue" program with Yemeni Islamists in which he attempted to convince prisoners that Jihad in Islam is for defense, not for offensive attacks. More than 360 militants were released after going through the program, but there was almost no post-release support, such as helping the detainees find jobs and wives, key elements of the Saudi initiative. Several graduates of the program returned to violence, including three of the seven men identified as participants in the September bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Yemen. Other observers have suggested funding a Supermax-type prison in Yemen, though costs are uncertain, and there is little U.S. faith in the Yemeni authorities’ ability to maintain security.
Military relations
Houthi conflict (2015–present)
In early 2015, after months of civil conflict, Houthi rebels took control of the northern part of Yemen, the besieged President Hadi resigned, and the government collapsed."Regime collapse threatens Yemen's key role in US counter-terrorism strategy," The Guardian, 23 January 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015. The U.S. embassy closed in February 2015, and its personnel was evacuated."Yemen rebels seize US Embassy vehicles as diplomats flee," USA TODAY, 11 February 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015. In March 2015, a U.S.-backed, Saudi-led coalition joined forces with Yemen's government to fight the rebels. The conflict was ongoing as of 2021. In 2021, the Houthis took 25 hostages, including USAID workers, and occupied the embassy buildings.
2025 U.S. airstrikes under Trump administration In 2025, President Donald Trump initiated significant military strikes on Houthis, marking the largest U.S. operation in the region since he took office. These strikes targeted military sites and infrastructure, killing at least 31 people, including women and children. The U.S. vowed to continue its operations until the Houthis ceased attacks on shipping, a core national interest of the U.S. The Houthis, in turn, threatened to escalate attacks, including targeting Israeli ships in the Red Sea. These developments have raised tensions, with Iran warning the U.S. against further escalation.
According to the Houthis' Health Ministry, the strikes had killed over 120 people by April 14, 2025. U.S. Central Command did not publicly acknowledge individual strikes, though the White House confirmed the overall number of operations. On April 8, suspected U.S. airstrikes around the Houthi-held capital, Sanaa, reportedly killed at least seven people and wounded 29. The Houthis claimed that a ceramics factory in the Bani Matar district was among the targets. Additional strikes were reported in Hodeida, al-Jawf, and Marib governorates. Concurrently, the Houthis announced the downing of a fourth U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone in two weeks, allegedly shot down over Hajjah governorate with a locally produced missile. The U.S. military acknowledged reports of the drone's loss but did not confirm further details.