Saudi crown prince sought US military help from Trump with Houthis, sources say
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Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (left) sought military help from US President Donald Trump on Sept 10 to help fight Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis. The request was denied, sources say.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sought military help from US President Donald Trump on Sept 10 to fight Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis, but Washington refused direct action, offering intelligence support instead.
- The US emphasised protecting key security interests like Red Sea navigation and encouraged regional partners to lead security efforts, with US Central Command's Admiral Brad Cooper visiting Saudi Arabia for talks.
- Control of the Red Sea’s Bab el-Mandeb Strait by Houthis threatens global oil routes, raising prices and complicating the US-Iran conflict, prompting Saudi Arabia to shift its approach and seek more US involvement.
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ANKARA/WASHINGTON - Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sought military assistance from President Donald Trump on Sept 10 to help fight Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis, three sources familiar with the matter said on Sept 11, as the Houthis stepped up their threat to the Red Sea.
Trump held at least two phone conversations with the Saudi leader on Sept 10 and did not agree to the US striking Houthis, the sources said.
Washington told Riyadh that it would help with intelligence sharing and targeting, they added.
The White House did not address a Reuters question on whether there were any phone calls between the two leaders, but a senior administration official speaking on the condition of anonymity said Washington was in continuous dialogue with Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government.
“The United States is focused on protecting our core national security interests - such as ensuring freedom of navigation in the Red Sea - while empowering our regional partners to take the lead in managing and resolving regional security challenges,” the official said.
The Saudi government media office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the phone calls and on conversations between the two leaders.
Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, travelled to Saudi Arabia on Sept 10 for talks, two of the sources said.
News of the request to Trump was first reported by Axios.
Saudi appeal marks change of approach
The US war with Iran has entered its seventh month with no immediate end in sight. The war has driven up prices of global oil and US gasoline, sending Trump’s approval ratings to a record low before the November midterm elections.
The Iran-backed Houthis have staged a dramatic advance down Yemen’s Red Sea coast in recent days, reaching the strategic island of Perim in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Sept 11, four Yemeni government sources told Reuters.
Houthi control of the Red Sea’s Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which is on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula from the Strait of Hormuz, could give Iran a critical advantage in its war with the US, reducing supplies through a second major transit corridor and sending oil prices surging.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, has relied on the Red Sea route since the Iran conflict effectively closed Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil used to flow.
The escalation between the Houthis and Riyadh dates back to early July, when Houthi forces confronted what they said were Saudi warplanes attempting to prevent an Iranian civilian aircraft from landing at Yemen’s Sana’a International Airport.
That exchange of fire broke a four-year truce in the conflict between the kingdom and the Iran-aligned group.
Saudi Arabia told the United States in July that it could fight the Houthis on its own and emphasised to Washington that the war should not escalate, according to a fourth person familiar with the matter.
Saudi officials urged their US counterparts to increase economic pressure on Iran.
Houthis campaigning to mobilise more fighters in Sana’a, Yemen, on Sept 10. Houthis have stepped up their threat to the Red Sea.
PHOTO:EPA
A former senior US official familiar with current developments said the Saudi leader’s Sept 10 outreach to Trump was to see if the US could increase its pressure on the Houthis militarily, instead of Riyadh having to confront the group alone.
“So far, they’ve been told no, but watch that space,” the official said.
The US and Israel attacked Iran on Feb 28 and Iran responded with its own strikes on Israel and Gulf states that host US bases. US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed thousands and displaced millions. REUTERS