The Houthis’ latest advances along Yemen’s Red Sea coast mark a significant escalation amid the war with Iran, but US President Donald Trump has so far resisted greater military involvement in the region.After the Iran-backed group seized the strategic port city of Mokha last week and launched missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia, Mr Trump declined Saudi requests to conduct strikes against the Houthis, even after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman urged him to intervene. Washington instead offered intelligence support, according to reports.“We’ve had discussions. The Houthis called us and they don’t want to fight with us,” Mr Trump said over the weekend, adding that they “don’t want us to go after them” and “would much prefer not having us involved".He said that Prince Mohammed is “a good friend of mine and it’s going to — I can just say everything’s going to work out fine and dandy. It’s going to be very good".Vice President JD Vance said the administration was in “constant contact” with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other regional partners, while also holding direct conversations with the Houthis.“We actually feel like we are on top of the situation, it’s a very fluid and dynamic thing,” he said. “We want to keep on monitoring it.”The situation reflects the administration’s reluctance to open another military front while US forces remain focused on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.The...
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