Saudi Arabia dismisses WSJ report on Houthi demands for $51b, recognition

Calls report fabricated, insisting Yemen already has an internationally recognised government.

Saudi Arabia on Thursday “categorically denied” a Wall Street Journal report claiming that Yemen’s Houthi militia had demanded $51 billion and formal recognition as the country’s rulers in exchange for ending hostilities with the kingdom.

In a post on X, Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Rayed Krimly said the report had “no basis in truth”, describing the claims as fabrications by the newspaper’s writers or their alleged sources.

I categorically deny the claims published by The Wall Street Journal regarding demands made by this militia. All of this is pure fabrication by the writers or their alleged sources. These militias turned against the Yemeni government, caused famine among the Yemeni people, and…

— AMB Dr. Rayed Krimly (@Rayedkrimly) November 5, 2026

Krimly accused the Houthis of rebelling against Yemen’s government, contributing to the starvation of its people and dragging the country into conflicts and agendas that did not serve its interests.

He also accused the militia of attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea, as well as civilian and economic facilities, and rejecting peace efforts.

He stressed that Yemen “already has an internationally recognised government”.

Read: Yemeni army says it carried out over 1,200 operations against Houthi positions

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Iran-backed Houthis had demanded $51 billion and formal recognition as Yemen’s rulers in return for ending hostilities with Saudi Arabia, presenting Riyadh with a difficult choice as renewed missile attacks threatened the kingdom’s oil facilities, airports and cities.

The newspaper, citing people briefed on the discussions, reported that the Houthis had said the amount was needed to cover the cost of years of Saudi strikes and a prolonged blockade.

The group also sought Saudi Arabia’s recognition as Yemen’s legitimate rulers, a concession that would undermine the internationally recognised Yemeni government backed by Riyadh and potentially strengthen an Iran-aligned movement along the kingdom’s southern border.

The report said the demands emerged after Saudi Arabia approached the Houthis to explore a negotiated end to the conflict following attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea and the group’s seizure of strategic territory overlooking the Bab Al Mandab Strait.

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The development comes amid escalating hostilities between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition, which supports Yemen’s internationally recognised government.

Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia intensified as the group advanced towards the Bab Al Mandab Strait, a key shipping chokepoint on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula from the Strait of Hormuz.