Trump Rejects Saudi Request to Strike Houthis After Port Seizure

Reuters reports this morning from sources in Yemen, Iran and the region that the Houthis' rapid and dangerous military advance along the Red Sea coast is not a local initiative, but the result of direct orders from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Tehran. Behind the scenes, the ayatollahs' regime is opening another dangerous front in its broader war, dispatching its most senior officers to personally command the maritime campaign.

According to details emerging in the report, the directive was issued last week as part of a concentrated Iranian effort to open a new front against the United States and its regional allies. In exchange for escalating deadly attacks against targets in Saudi Arabia, Tehran promised the Houthis exceptional financial support, continuous supply of advanced weapons systems, and even deployed a cadre of senior Revolutionary Guards commanders who crossed the border to personally direct operations on the ground.

Iranian sources attempted to present a different picture, claiming the dramatic move to seize Mocha port and the surrounding area was an independent decision by Houthi leadership rather than direct instruction from the Islamic Republic — a claim completely refuted by regional diplomats familiar with classified briefings from Tehran.

Houthi forces (Photo: Arab social media)

A dramatic political revelation from Axios shows that U.S. President Donald Trump delivered a flat rejection in closed-door conversations to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, blocking him from launching direct military operations against Houthi strongholds in Yemen.

According to two senior American officials who spoke with the site, Riyadh pressed Washington to lead an offensive military campaign against the rebels, but encountered a clear American brake.

Despite the explicit refusal to deploy direct fire against the Houthis at this stage, Washington clarifies that the administration is not abandoning its ally: recent days have seen a significant increase in American support for Saudi Arabia, against the backdrop of the Houthis' rapid advance and the fuel and energy attacks they are conducting on Saudi territory.

Trump's decision reflects considerable caution about expanding direct U.S. military involvement in the Yemeni arena, leaving Riyadh to confront the threat with limited logistical and political backing, but without the American strike umbrella the crown prince requested.

Houthi rebel forces (Ansar Allah) have seized complete control of the historic port of al-Mocha in western Yemen, according to reports from Yemeni and international military sources. The critical port, located approximately 75 kilometers north of the Bab al-Mandab strait, fell to the organization after days of bloody fighting against government forces backed by Saudi Arabia.

According to reports, Yemeni government forces were forced to retreat southward under heavy fire. The seizure of Mocha gives the Houthis control of a strategic point on the Red Sea coast, within striking distance of Bab al-Mandab — one of the world's most important maritime chokepoints for ship traffic between the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.

Reuters reported that the Houthis are advancing toward broader control of the Bab al-Mandab area. Any significant threat to movement through the strait could lead shipping companies to avoid the route, lengthening voyage paths and raising insurance and transport costs.

At the time as the seizure of Mocha, the Houthis rained ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles on cities in southwestern Saudi Arabia. According to a Saudi coalition statement, at least 73 people were wounded in the attacks, including women and children. The targeted areas include the cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jizan and Najran, all in southern Saudi Arabia near the border with Yemen.

Saudi coalition spokesman General Turki al-Maliki characterized the attack as a "dangerous escalation" and accused the Houthis of deliberately targeting civilian and economic infrastructure. One of the main focal points was Jizan, where Saudi Aramco energy infrastructure was attacked. The Saudi Energy Ministry reported that several energy facilities in the south of the country were damaged, and that emergency and firefighting crews were dispatched to the scene following fires that broke out at the facilities.

Fire in Saudi Arabia: Houthis attacked cities and energy facilities - 73 wounded (Photo: Social media)

At some sites, operations were temporarily halted to allow treatment of damage and fires. Aramco's Jizan refinery can process approximately 400,000 barrels of oil per day, and the area has previously been targeted by Houthi attacks. Attacks were also reported in the Abha and Khamis Mushait areas, near King Khalid Air Base and the airport.

The Houthis' rapid advance toward the Hanish Islands, Zuqar Island, Dhubab and Perim Island gives the organization formidable control over the critical chokepoint through which crude oil and massive quantities of goods pass from Asia to Europe via the Suez Canal. Following the loss of control and damage to Saudi energy facilities, Brent crude prices surged sharply beyond $105–107 per barrel.

The UN has already warned that the region is entering a "dangerous phase" that could reignite a comprehensive regional war. Thousands of Yemeni families have already fled from al-Mocha southward toward Aden and Lahij. On the military front, government forces are regrouping in Dhubab in an attempt to halt further advance, while the Saudi-led coalition has launched extensive airstrikes on Houthi strongholds.

The Houthis, backed by Iran, have succeeded over the years in developing and operating an array including ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles. These capabilities have transformed the organization from a local player in Yemen into a military actor capable of executing attacks beyond the country's borders. In recent years the Houthis have proven they can launch missiles and drones at targets in Saudi Arabia and even attack ships in the Red Sea.

Is this a temporary local breakthrough or a dramatic and permanent shift in the control map of the Red Sea, resulting in a campaign in which the entire world is paying the price?