U.S. exempts U.N., aid groups from effort to cut off Yemen's Houthis

FILE PHOTO: Workers prepare foodstuff for beneficiaries at a food distribution center supported by the World Food Program in Sanaa, Yemen June 3, 2020. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah/File Photo

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday exempted aid groups, the United Nations, the Red Cross and the export of agricultural commodities, medicine, and medical devices from its designation of Yemen's Houthi movement as a foreign terrorist organization.

The carve-outs are not enough to allay U.N. fears that Washington's move would push Yemen into a large-scale famine. The United Nations describes Yemen as the world's biggest humanitarian crisis, with 80% of its people in need.