Biden nominates new US ambassador to Yemen

President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday his intent to nominate Steven Fagin as the new US ambassador to Yemen.

Fagin, a career diplomat, was the deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Baghdad. Before that, he served as the principal officer at the US Consulate General in Erbil.

Fagin has also spent time as the director of the State Department’s Office of Iranian Affairs.

Wednesday’s announcement comes amid a renewed diplomatic push by Washington to end the yearslong war in Yemen.

One of Biden’s first appointments after being sworn in was to name Tim Lenderking as his special envoy for Yemen.

Despite Lenderking’s shuttle diplomacy, the US’s efforts have been futile as the Iran-backed Houthis continue to refuse to engage in ceasefire talks.

The group most recently detained US and UN employees working in Yemen. That came after an escalated offensive on Marib, one of the Yemeni government’s final strongholds in the north.