Media: Trump rejects Saudi request for strikes on Houthis

U.S. President Donald Trump rejected a request from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to launch strikes against Yemen’s Houthi movement, as the Iran-backed group moved closer to the strategically important Bab al-Mandab Strait, two U.S. officials told Axios.

The Saudi crown prince reportedly spoke with Trump twice on September 10 and urged the U.S. president to take military action against the Houthis. Trump declined, while U.S. officials said the administration currently has no plans to intervene directly against the group.

The decision reflects Washington’s effort to avoid opening another military front while U.S. forces remain focused on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz. According to sources familiar with recent U.S.-Saudi discussions, American military and civilian officials have told their Saudi counterparts that Trump’s directive is to concentrate U.S. resources on Iran and the strategically critical waterway.

At the same time, U.S. Central Command commander Adm. Brad Cooper travelled to Saudi Arabia on September 10 for urgent coordination meetings, two sources familiar with the matter told Axios.

The developments come as fighting in Yemen has intensified. The Houthi movement launched an offensive in southwestern Yemen in early September, accompanied by missile and drone attacks targeting coastal areas along the Red Sea and the vicinity of Taiz.

The offensive has reportedly sought to disrupt access routes to the port city of Mocha and advance toward areas near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a narrow maritime passage connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.

Tensions around the waterway have also affected global energy markets. Oil prices rose on September 10 after the Houthis seized a strategic coastal city in Yemen, bringing the group closer to Bab al-Mandab, one of the world’s key shipping chokepoints.

The developments have raised concerns about a potential widening of disruptions to international trade and energy supplies. With Iran already affecting maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, increased Houthi control around Bab al-Mandab could provide Tehran and its allies with additional leverage over shipping routes used by the United States, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.

The two waterways are strategically significant for global commerce: Hormuz links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman, while Bab al-Mandab provides a gateway between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and is an important route for vessels travelling between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal.