Trump Rejects Houthi Strikes After Saudi Request
Trump rejects strikes on the Houthis after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman asked the United States to launch attacks against the group in Yemen, according to an Axios report cited by Reuters on Friday. The development comes as the conflict in Yemen escalates and Houthi forces advance toward strategically important positions around the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
According to the report, the Saudi crown prince called Trump twice on Thursday and urged him to authorize strikes against the Houthis, but the U.S. president rejected the request. U.S. officials said the administration does not currently intend to become directly involved in military action against the group. Reuters said it could not immediately independently verify the Axios report.
Mohammed bin Salman Called Trump Twice
The Saudi request came as the battlefield in Yemen undergoes rapid changes. According to the Axios report cited by Reuters, Mohammed bin Salman spoke with Trump twice on Thursday and pressed for direct U.S. military action against the Houthis.
However, according to officials cited in the report, Washington’s current position is to increase support for Saudi Arabia while avoiding direct U.S. military involvement against the Houthis.
In a sign of continued coordination between Washington and Riyadh, U.S. Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper traveled to Saudi Arabia on Thursday for urgent coordination talks, according to the report.
Why Does Trump Reject Strikes on the Houthis?
According to U.S. officials who spoke to Axios, the Trump administration’s military priority remains Iran and securing the Strait of Hormuz, rather than expanding direct U.S. operations by opening an additional military front in Yemen.
The published accounts indicate that Washington is increasingly concerned about the rapid escalation in Yemen and is working to increase support for Saudi Arabia, while at the same time seeking to avoid direct military involvement against the Houthis.
U.S. military and civilian officials had told their Saudi counterparts in recent weeks that Trump’s directives were focused on keeping American forces concentrated on Iran and protecting the Strait of Hormuz while avoiding another military front.
Houthi Advance Raises Saudi Concerns
The Saudi request coincides with rapid Houthi battlefield gains along Yemen’s western coast. Four Yemeni government sources told Reuters that the Houthis reached Perim Island, also known in Arabic as Mayyun, on Friday. The island lies within the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Two sources in Yemen’s internationally recognized, Saudi-backed government said government forces had withdrawn from Perim. They also said the Houthis had taken Dhubab, a Red Sea coastal town opposite the island.
The development follows Houthi advances along Yemen’s western coast in recent days, including the capture of Mocha and their arrival on the Hanish Islands.
The progression of the Houthi advance can also be followed through Profile News coverage of the Houthi capture of Mocha, followed by their arrival on the Hanish Islands, amid rapidly shifting conditions along Yemen’s coast and the Red Sea.
Bab al-Mandab Moves to the Center of the Crisis
The advance to Perim and Dhubab carries strategic significance because of their positions directly around Bab al-Mandab, the maritime chokepoint connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and one of the world’s major trade and energy routes.
Perim Island lies within the strait and divides maritime traffic into two channels, while Dhubab sits on the Yemeni coast opposite the island. Bab al-Mandab is only about 29 kilometers wide at its narrowest point.
Developments around Bab al-Mandab are becoming increasingly sensitive as energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz face disruption linked to the conflict between the United States and Iran. Saudi Arabia has increasingly relied on the Red Sea route for oil shipments as flows through Hormuz have been disrupted.
According to Kpler data cited by Reuters, petroleum volumes passing through Bab al-Mandab in June were equivalent to about 7% of global oil production.
Saudi Arabia Seeks to Protect Red Sea Shipping
Riyadh’s request for direct U.S. action comes as Saudi Arabia seeks to strengthen protection for shipping in the Red Sea. Reuters previously reported that the kingdom was working to build international support to protect maritime traffic from Houthi attacks as tensions in and around Yemen escalated.
The Red Sea is becoming increasingly important to Saudi Arabia as regional energy export routes come under pressure, particularly amid continued disruption around the Strait of Hormuz and the Houthi advance toward more strategically sensitive positions around Bab al-Mandab.
Washington Seeks to Avoid Another Military Front
Trump’s rejection of the Saudi request, according to the Axios account, highlights the distinction between supporting Saudi Arabia against the Houthis and committing the United States directly to another war in Yemen.
Washington’s stated military priorities in its contacts with Riyadh remain focused on Iran and securing the Strait of Hormuz. Direct participation in operations against the Houthis would therefore add another military front to an already expanding regional conflict.
That does not mean U.S. support for Saudi Arabia has ended. The information reported by Reuters from Axios indicates that Washington is working to increase its support for Riyadh while simultaneously trying to avoid direct military involvement in Yemen.
Trump and the Houthis: What Happens if the Advance Toward Bab al-Mandab Continues?
The Houthi advance along Yemen’s coast presents the Trump administration with an increasingly difficult equation: supporting Saudi Arabia and protecting Red Sea shipping on one hand, while avoiding the opening of another direct U.S. military front in Yemen on the other.
For now, the account citing U.S. officials indicates that Trump is resisting a move toward direct military intervention against the Houthis, while Washington continues to support and coordinate with Riyadh.
Attention now turns to developments around Perim, Dhubab and Bab al-Mandab, as well as any new Saudi moves and whether Washington’s opposition to direct strikes will hold as the map of territorial control along Yemen’s western coast continues to change.
