Trump refused Saudi Arabia strikes on Houthis - sources
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman telephoned U.S. President Donald Trump twice and asked for American strikes against Yemen's Houthis amid their advance toward the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Trump refused direct military intervention, but Washington agreed to enhance intelligence support to Riyadh.
Axios reported this, citing two American officials. According to them, both conversations took place on Thursday, September 10, when the situation in Yemen was rapidly deteriorating.
During the first call, Mohammed bin Salman informed Trump about the Houthi offensive on the Red Sea coast and the retreat of forces of the internationally recognized Yemeni government, which Saudi Arabia supports. A few hours later, the Crown Prince called again and directly urged the American president to order strikes on the Houthis.
Trump declined the request. According to Axios, the current stance of the White House is not to open another front and to focus American forces primarily on confronting Iran and the situation around the Strait of Hormuz.
US will provide intelligence, but will not engage in combat
However, Washington is not leaving Saudi Arabia without support. One American official told Axios that the US will provide the kingdom with intelligence on the Houthis, as well as data that can be used for targeting.
About 200 American service members are already in Saudi Arabia and provide support that does not involve their direct participation in hostilities.
Against the backdrop of escalation, Commander of US Central Command Admiral Brad Cooper also arrived in Saudi Arabia for urgent coordination talks. Publicly, CENTCOM has not yet disclosed details of these meetings. Back in August, Cooper visited the kingdom as part of a broader regional trip for talks with military and political leadership of US allies.
Houthis captured strategic Mokha
The main reason for Riyadh's new appeal was the Houthis' rapid advancement in southwestern Yemen. On September 10, they captured the port city of Mokha on the Red Sea coast following the withdrawal of government forces.
The capture of Mokha significantly changed the situation around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait - one of the key maritime routes between the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. The Houthis gained much better capabilities to control the coastline and pose a threat to shipping.
For Saudi Arabia, this route is especially important because of oil exports from Red Sea ports. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in the second quarter of 2026, about 8.1 million barrels of oil and petroleum products per day passed through Bab el-Mandeb - almost double the amount from a year earlier.
The strait's importance grew further due to problems with tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz amid the US-Iran conflict. As a result, a simultaneous threat to two strategic maritime routes created a new risk for global energy supplies.
Saudi Arabia did not want direct US intervention as recently as summer
MBS's appeal marks a notable shift in Riyadh's position. As recently as July, Saudi Arabia asked Washington only for political support for its own strikes on the Houthis and emphasized that it did not need direct US military assistance.
Then Trump supported the Saudi operation after the escalation around Sanaa airport. Subsequently, the Houthis retaliated with attacks on Saudi tankers, energy facilities, and other infrastructure. In late July, Saudi leadership still told the Americans that it could handle the situation independently.
Now, the Houthi advance toward Bab el-Mandeb has forced Riyadh for the first time in the current escalation to ask for direct American strikes.
Risk to the Red Sea has already hit oil prices
The capture of Mokha and the threat to shipping became one of the factors behind a sharp jump in oil prices. At Thursday's close, Brent rose more than 6% to $107.63 per barrel, and American WTI to $102.48.
On Friday, prices remained near multi-month highs: Brent traded around $108 per barrel. Investors are assessing the risk that simultaneous escalation in the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb could further complicate transportation of Middle Eastern oil.
The Trump administration currently signals that the main U.S. interest in Yemen remains freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. Washington wants to leave the direct fight against the Houthis, at least for now, to Saudi Arabia and other regional allies.
Sources: Axios, Associated Press, Al Jazeera
