Saudi Arabia’s ability to move crude to market is under pressure at two strategic waterways, yet President Donald Trump is holding US forces back from direct military action against Iranian-backed Huthi rebels. The administration is sharing intelligence, providing planning and logistical help, and sending military advisers forward with Saudi forces, while declining Saudi requests for US strikes.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has personally asked Trump for military intervention, calling him twice, according to the brief. Trump rebuffed those appeals as the Huthis seized effective control of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in recent weeks and declared a blockade of Saudi shipping.
Saudi Arabia is the world’s biggest exporter of crude oil and sends millions of barrels a day into the global market. It has rerouted millions of barrels of oil each day through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait after Iran partially closed the Strait of Hormuz following the launch of the US and Israeli war on Iran on February 28.
The change in shipping routes has left Saudi exports exposed to the Huthi-controlled Red Sea chokepoint. A former Gulf official told CNN that Saudi oil “is now being strangled between two choke points and that will have a ripple effect on prices down the line”. Americans are already facing historically high prices for gasoline and diesel, while the full impact of the disruption on global oil prices remains unclear.
The attacks have also reached Saudi territory. Huthis targeted Riyadh, where thick black smoke rose from fuel tanks near the international airport. Iranian-backed Iraqi militias have also attacked the Saudi East-West pipeline in recent weeks, disrupting millions of barrels of exports from the Red Sea port of Yanbu. Recent Huthi strikes have targeted Saudi oil facilities, including Aramco installations at Yanbu.
Trump has described the issue as one in which the Huthis are seeking to avoid a confrontation with the United States. “The Huthis called us and they don't want to fight with us,” he said. Referring to Saudi Arabia, he added: “It's just one country they're not too happy with” and “And we'll get that straightened out”.
The Huthis have promised not to attack US ships sailing through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Trump’s current red line is authorising strikes against the group, with whom he says the US is talking. The terms of those contacts and whether they could alter the wider conflict involving Saudi Arabia and Iran are unknown.
His caution has not removed military action from consideration. Trump ordered strikes against the Huthis to begin around 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Sunday. The military was then told shortly after 2 p.m. on Sunday that the order had been cancelled. One US official said Trump had not ruled out military action in the future.
US military leaders are divided over whether Trump should enter the conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Huthis in Yemen. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has indicated that the intervention decision could be reviewed. He also said the United States has “a defense agreement with Saudi Arabia. We intend to live up to our commitments on it.”
For now, the administration’s policy leaves Saudi forces to confront attacks on their territory and shipping without direct US strikes. Whether Washington expands its support beyond intelligence, military advice and logistics, and whether the Huthi blockade persists, remain unresolved as Saudi exports face constraints at the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
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