Trump Says America May Join Saudi Strikes on the Houthis
Asked on his way to a rally whether the United States would join, the president said: “We may. We’re gonna look at it. We just found out about the recent attack, so we’ll make a decision. We’ll move very quickly.” Asked whether Riyadh changed his pledge not to strike Iran before the midterms, he said only that he would take a look.
It is worth being precise about what this is, because the wording invites over-reading: an answer to a shouted question on the way to a campaign event in Tennessee, not a prepared statement and not a reported decision. What makes it newsworthy is what it would reverse. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman asked Mr Trump twice last month to strike the Houthis and was refused both times. Washington instead met the group in Oman to protect a separate understanding: the Houthis have said their war is with Saudi Arabia alone and have let American vessels transit the Red Sea unmolested. Joining Saudi strikes would put that at risk, in the same week the administration suspended sanctions on Russian diesel to bring American fuel prices down before an election. On Saudi capability he added: “They’re able to defend. The Saudis are good fighters. But I think the attack was a terrible thing.” He said he would speak to the crown prince soon. The decision, if it comes, lands on a country that has just told its allies it is running short of interceptors.