Honduras–United States relations

Honduras and the United States have had formal relations since 1830. There is close cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the areas of the War on Drugs while the National Port Authority in Puerto Cortés is part of the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection's Container Security Initiative.

During the 1980s, Honduras supported U.S. policy opposing governments in Nicaragua and opposing an active insurgency in El Salvador. In June 2005, Honduras became the first country in the hemisphere to sign a Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) compact with the US Government. Honduras failed the corruption indicator required for continued funding into 2008. MCC will closely follow Honduras's progress on reducing corruption under an approved "remediation plan."

The United States recognized President Manuel Zelaya, ousted from power in the 2009 Honduran coup d'état, as the only constitutional president of Honduras. "We believe that the coup was not legal and that President Zelaya remains the democratically elected president there," US President Barack Obama said. Although U.S. officials have characterized the events as a coup, suspended joint military operations and all non-emergency, non-immigrant visas, and cut off certain non-humanitarian aid to Honduras, they have held back from formally designating Zelaya's ouster as a "military coup", which would require them to cut off almost all aid to Honduras.

The United States subsequently warned the Micheletti government that it might not recognize the results of the November 29, 2009 elections if Zelaya was not allowed to return to power first, and ultimately indicated that the November election would not be recognized, persuading the Micheletti regime to refer Zelaya's return to the Honduran Congress.

The United States maintains a presence at the Soto Cano Air Base in Comayagua; the two countries conduct joint peacekeeping, counter-narcotics, humanitarian, disaster relief, and civic action exercises. U.S. troops conduct and provide logistics support for a variety of bilateral and multilateral exercises, medical, engineering, peacekeeping, counternarcotics, and disaster relief.

As of 1 March 2023, the U.S. and Honduras share a partnership aimed at fostering security, stability, and prosperity in the Americas. This partnership involves a joint military unit at Soto Cano Air Base, focusing on building relationships not only with Honduras but also with other Central American countries.

In early 2023, the U.S. and Honduras engaged in Strategic and Human Rights Dialogues, reaffirming their commitment to jointly tackle the root causes of irregular migration and forced displacement.